Dark Moon Rising
by Dbananad
Summary: A strange vampire comes to the Cullen house with an interesting propostition. If all goes well then Bella might be out of harms way, but if something goes wrong she and the Cullens will be in life threatening peril.
1. The Dream

**The Dream**

**General POV**

A lightning storm was approaching. The thunder rumbled in the distance. The calm before the storm.

Bella walked out of the woods just as soon as the first lightning bolt came into view. For a moment the whole forest was bathed in light. She held her breath. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time. She flinched at the boom of thunder that followed.

Bella headed away from the trees. Earlier that week she had watched a special about lightning storms with Edward. She remembered that it was dangerous to be beneath trees. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in a wild fire.

_Why the heck did I come out in such a bad storm_? Washington got its fair share of bad storms but this one looked worse than any others Bella had seen. There seemed to be a specific reason of her coming here, but Bella couldn't remember. _It has something to do with Edward,_ _of that I'm sure._ Though the more she thought about it, the less she could remember.

She gave up after a while. Something else had caught her attention. In the middle of the meadow was a small black pond. Bella had never seen this pond there before. She looked down at the water and then up to the sky. The clouds were a dark gray but not nearly dark enough to make the pond jet black. _Maybe it is some kind of oil_.

Bella knelt down a brushed her fingers over the surface. It felt cool and wet. It was not thick or slimy like most oils. She took her fingers out and looked at them. They were dry and had none of the liquid on them whatsoever. Furthermore there were no ripples. It seemed to just flow back to place like fabric often does.

The storm was getting closer. The lightening forked the sky and the thunder rumbled loudly above her. _Whatever Edward wanted me to do will have to wait until later. He will be more upset if I was hit by lightning than if I left the errand for a little later._

Just as Bella turned to leave, the pond was struck by a bolt of lightning. The force with which it hit knocked Bella onto the ground. She lay still on the grass for a moment. The light had momentarily blinded her so she waited for all the black dots she was seeing to minimize. She sat up and took a shaky step forward. Though she couldn't see everything, she felt a small pain in her knee and a more pronounced one in her wrist.

She focused on her wrist. It was bleeding. Her stomach did a painful twist at the site of the ruby droplets. She looked back and saw that she had fallen on a thorny root that was now covered in her blood. _At least there aren't any vampires around to go crazy_. As she stared down at the root it started to retreat into the earth. It disappeared so quickly that Bella wondered if she had just imagined that it had been there. She turned around to see what had happened to her knee. Her jeans were torn but there was no blood.

Bella looked over at the pond. It was bubbling like tar and had changed color to a creamy complexion. Four thorny roots like the one she had fallen on were slithering into the water. She noticed that there were still no ripples on the water. _So strange._

Suddenly the roots burst out of the center of the pond and started twining around each other. To Bella it looked like they were forming a large, thorny mass of muscles.

The roots stopped twisting but kept rising. The tips could now be seen a few inches above the water. They hovered there for a moment. Bella just sat there staring in wonder.

The roots started sucking in the water. The creamy liquid had turned a pale white color. It spread over the wood and thorns. In a few minutes the liquid had enveloped everything like a layer of skin. It looked amazingly humanoid.

Bella decided not to stick around to find out what it was. She turned to leave but she could no longer see the forest. A thick fog had covered the meadow and obscured all the trees. Bella started walking. At least it led away from the pond and the creature that hovered above it. It probably wouldn't find her if she hid in the fog.

As Bella continued walking into the fog, she felt a growing sense of fear. The back of her neck tingled and her stomach kept doing flips. _Shouldn't I have reached the trees by now? _The fog was so thick that she could barely see her hand when see put in front of her face. Her skin was getting goose bumps and her brain was on the verge of panic. She started to run. _Anything to get out of here! I'd do anything!_ Her foot snagged on something and she fell. _Well, at least I know which way is down._

A million thoughts seemed to have crowded in her head that it took her a while to realize that she was gasping for breath. The air seemed to be getting thinner.

Bella crawled across the grass. She couldn't breathe at all now. To make matters worse it felt like all of the air in her body was being sucked out. Even the fog was swirling around her. Above her, Bella heard the violent winds howl and the thunder boom. She shut her eyes and put her hands over her ears. Her lungs were screaming for air, her stomach was churning, and her head felt like it was being compressed under a big hammer.

Then, it was over. Bella hesitantly opened her eyes. She could see a group of little violet flowers that had been crumpled under her weight. She sucked in a breath and inhaled their sweet aroma. Her head had finally stopped spinning. She stood up carefully so that she wouldn't fall back down. The fog had cleared, only the dark gray clouds were drifting over her head. Everything looked so calm. It was as if the storm had only been a bad dream.

Bella turned and found herself staring into to large crimson eyes. She stumbled back. The figure was covered in a black cloak. The hood hid most of its face, all except the eyes. If only the mist could envelop her again and hide her from those blood-colored orbs.

_Vampire! Run! Vampire! Hide!_ Her mind kept repeating those four words but her body was unable or unwilling to obey. All she could do was stare into the eyes. The whole world seemed to turn that dark shade of red. If her body could have moved she would have shivered. _I'm going to die now. Where is Edward? Had he given into the thirst for her blood but didn't want her to know it was him?_ _No. This was a different vampire entirely. Oh Edward, where are you?_

The vampire started walking slowly toward her. It almost looked like it wasn't even touching the ground but floating over it. In an instant it was right in front of Bella. She felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. The vampire extended its cloaked hand toward her neck. It wore a black leather glove with a white rose that twisted around the index finger.

As the hand reached out for Bella's throat, the glove disappeared. It looked alike smoke drifting back into the black folds of the cloak. The hand was now visible. It was white and felt smooth to the touch. The nails were clear porcelain. Bella felt it pierce her skin. _Death!_

The hand retracted and the glove covered everything except the index finger. There, on the tip, was a small drop of blood. The white rose wove its way to where the blood was and dipped the top of its petals in it. Then it settled on the top of the nail. There was still a bit of her blood left on the finger.

The hand moved up. The vampire opened its mouth and Bella saw the two large fangs shine in the dim light. The vampire licked the blood off of its finger and closed its eyes as if savoring the taste. Bella's knees felt weak. She was no longer in the vampire's hold but her legs felt like limp noodles. She fell to the ground.

After a long pause the vampire reopened its eyes, but they were no longer red! Instead they were a deep purple with a slight grey outline. It turned and started walking away. As it walked parts of its cloak fell off. As it reached the center of the meadow the entire cloak had fallen. Bella's jaw dropped. There, in the field of purple flowers where Bella had lain, stood a beautiful girl. She looked like she was in her twenties. Her hair was as black as midnight and fell loosely over her bare shoulders. She was wearing a black tank top that revealed two tattooed wings on her back. Her pants were long black jeans and she wore high heeled black boots.

A beam of sunshine broke through the clouds and illuminated her. Her arms rose up as if trying to defend she was trying to defend herself from the beam. The tattoos burst off of her skin and turned into real wings. They too were black but some had white tips.

The girl lowered her hands and turned to face Bella. The sunlight momentarily blinded her but she was sure that the girl had flashed her a smile. When Bella's eyes had adjusted to the light there was no one there. It was as if the girl had never existed.

Bella walked over to where the girl had been standing. A bunch of her cloak was still lying there. Bella reached down and tugged at it. The texture was silky and moved easily. Bella saw that she had uncovered something. It was pale white but looked like skin. _Maybe she is under here!_ Bella grabbed a handful and pulled.

The cloak fell and exposed a body, but not the body Bella had expected to find. Around a boy wound a large white snake with black stripes. It turned its head around so that it could take a better look at her. It hissed threateningly as it sized me up with its deep blue eye. It was a strange color but Bella wasn't looking at the snake. She was staring at the boy with the auburn hair and dead liquid-bronze eyes. A scream tore its way up her throat and out of her mouth.

"Edward!"


	2. Premonitions

**Premonitions**

**Bella's POV**

I woke up screaming. I hugged the covers of my bed as if my life depended on it. _It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's just a dream._ I kept telling myself this but it was still to vivid. The storm, the vampire, the tattoo wings, the snake. _Oh god, Edward. He can't be dead. He can't._

At that moment Edward burst through the door, "Bella! Are you alright? What's wrong?"

I ran to him and hugged him. If he had been human I probably would have knocked him over, "Don't every let go."

"Shh. Shh. I'm here," he murmured hugging her back.

*****

It was about noon when Edward's car pulled up in the Cullen's driveway. He opened Bella's door and helped me out. I could never get used to the beauty of the house.

I had calmed down after a few minutes in Edward's arms but the dream still lingered. If only I could just shake the feeling of dread that was hanging over me.

The whole family was gathered in their luxurious living room. To anyone else they seemed like the perfect family but I knew better. They were as dangerous as they were kind. Still, I felt more at home here than almost anywhere else.

Alice skipped over to where I was standing and gaveme a big hug and an even bigger smile. The rest of the Cullens also seemed very happy. It was nice to have a calm day in between all of the problems that seemed to tail me wherever I go.

"Hello Bella," Carlisle stood and shook my hand. Carlisle always had a way of calming me down. Not as much as Edward but enough to push the dream to the back of my mind.

He stepped aside and left me to the mercy of Emmett's bear hug. As usual I could barely breathe after he let go.

Esme gave me a warm smile and Rosalie tried to do the same. It didn't work very well but I was used to the blonde's unwelcome attitude. Jasper just sat expressionless on the sofa.

"We were just starting a game of Shanghai. Why don't you two join in?" Carlisle offered.

Edward looked down at me. I smiled and nodded enthusiastically. I knew winning was impossible but it would still be fun. It was very funny watching Edward and Alice try to get the better of each other.

We both sat down. Carlisle dealt the cards and the game began. The first game ended so quickly that I didn't even get my turn and I was fourth. Alice went out with forty-five points but Edward had also gotten a few hands so it ended in a tie. Emmett and Jasper joked that they would kick Edward and Alice out if they didn't let everyone have a turn before blowing us all out of the water.

In the end Alice was the champion with three games won. Edward won two and Emmett and Jasper were victorious once. As I expected I hadn't won at all but at least I wasn't alone. Carlisle and Esme had not been that competitive and had lost. Rosalie had refused to play even though Emmett had spent fifteen minutes begging her to join in.

For the next half hour we watched Emmett and Jasper arm wrestle to see who would be in third place. They managed to break the table, a stool, and one of Esme's favorite vases before Carlisle said enough.

They decided that they would have to settle it the old fashioned way, rock, paper, scissors. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. In the end Jasper won, his rock to Emmett's scissors. It was nice to see the blond vampire loosen up a little. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Rosalie had a smile on her face.

As we sat down for dinner, my dinner to be exact, Alice's eyes clouded over. She was having a vision. My stomach started flipping. The only times that Alice had long visions were when something bad would happen.

Jasper brought a piece of paper and a pencil for her to draw with. She finally dropped the pencil and her eyes turned back to normal. Everyone leaned in to see what was on the paper.

I felt my breath stop. On the piece of paper was the girl I had seen in my dream. Only this time she wasn't in the meadow, she was standing in front of the Cullen's house. Even worse, a man stood next to her and on his arm was a long winding bracelet in the form of a snake. It was white with black stripes!


	3. Preparations

**Preparations**

**Bella's POV**

For the next few days everyone was preparing for the arrival of our unwanted visitors. Edward was especially worried. I had wanted to tell him about my dream but I held back because I couldn't bare to tell him that I saw his death. In the end I decided that it would be best to be near him and do everything to prevent it.

That afternoon I asked Charlie if I could spend the night at the Cullen's house. At first he was a bit hesitant, but as soon as I told him that I wanted to talk to Alice, he gave me a big smile and practically kicked me out of the house.

Edward was waiting for me outside the house. He was leaning casually against the door of the house. He looked as if our biggest worries were the dark grey clouds that covered the sky. If I hadn't seen his eyes I would probably believe the facade.

He gave me a quick hug and a loving peck on my cheek and led me inside. Everyone in the house was tense but they all tried to hide it when I stepped into the room. I hated how they tried to make it seem like it would all be alright. Yes, I was human, but that gave them no right to hide things from me. When were they going to learn that I was tough enough to handle this crisis.

"Bella, we need you to stay away from me until we have this whole mess settled," Edward sighed. He sounded so worn. It was almost believable that he was over one hundred years old.

"What if they sense my presence in this house?" I couldn't help objecting to what Edward had said. It was impossible for me to be without him in a time of danger.

"I have asked Jacob to guard you and Charlie if that is the case," he didn't sound to happy when he said this, "His scent will erase all traces of ours."

In the end I spent about half an hour in the house before the atmosphere became too much for me. It was depressing to see the people I cared about the most get so cold. I know that sounded stupid considering they were vampires but I had always felt warm among them.

"I'm gonna step out for a bit," I said.

"Alone," I added as Edward rose to follow me. _Be careful_ he mouthed as I stepped out onto the porch.

The air outside was cold considering it was late fall. Soon the rain would start falling almost everyday and the sunny days would fade. The woods were so beautiful. All of the different colors made it seem more like a portrait than real life. It all looked so poetic. How could all of the Cullens be so worried inside when the outside world was so calming and beautiful?

I decided that, since I was already out here, I should take a brief walk in the woods. I took the small path that wound its way to the stream a few yards away. The woods were so full of noise that it was hard to concentrate on my problems. I saw a bunch of squirrels rushing across the branches and some birds resting in the golden canopy.

I had always liked that we had four seasons here. That was one of the many things I didn't miss about Arizona. Four seasons was much better than just two.

Some bushes started rustling behind me. I turned around just as a huge fuzzy shape shot out of them. I held my breath and my heart started pumping at a hundred beats per second. The thing Pushed me to the ground and started running its tongue over my face.

It took me a while to realize that the thing wasn't trying to kill me, but rather it was licking me. I gently pushed against the mound of fur that covered me. It easily slid away and I was able to sit up. I stared, stunned, at my best friend.

"Jacob!"

He gave me his big wolfy grin. I jokingly ran my hand over my face and made a face. My hand was soaked in drool. Another two wolves burst out of the shrubs. One was a tan color and was a little smaller than Jacob. He too seemed happy.

"Seth!"

The last wolf was the smallest yet. She was a silvery grey and had a silent hint of a snarl.

"Leah. What're you guys doing here?" I exclaimed.

Jacob jumped back into the bushes followed by Seth. Leah circled around so that she was standing in front of where they had disappeared. Her snarl didn't make me feel any better.

Thankfully, a moment later Jacob and Seth reappeared in human form. I guessed that they had shifted back and put on the clothes that were always strapped to one of their legs.

"Hey Bella," Jacob said with a smile.

"What have you been up to?" Seth jumped up and gave me a bear hug that could match Emmett's, "We heard that there is are some new vamps coming by."

His tone was so uplifting. This was exactly what I needed to get my hopes up, "Ya. These guys are nothing to mess with though. I have a bad feeling about them."

"You should have a bad feeling about all vampires, not just these ones," Jacob said. His expression was one of happiness but I could sense an edge to his light tone. A small hint of angst.

"I hope you're not referring to the Cullens," I said in annoyance.

"Don't get uptight now. We're here to distract you while the leeches cook up a battle plan," he said giving me a broad smile. I wanted to argue but a sudden idea came to me.

"Hey Jake, is there a way that we can speak in private?" I asked.

He looked over to where Seth and Leah stood. Seth seemed a bit put out but nodded. Leah just stuck her nose in the air and marched off.

"I guess that is as close to a yes as we'll get from her," Jacob joked.

"I need to tell you something about those two vampires that are coming," I started, "You see I had this dream a few nights ago..."

**Edward's POV**

"What are we going to do?" I was getting really frustrated.

"Well, they will come soon considering it was fall when they came," Alice sighed. Jasper gave her a reassuring hug. I wished that Bella was here so that I could embrace her too. This whole affair was driving me mad. Would there ever be a time when the whole vampire world would just leave us be?

"We can't just do nothing and wait for them to come. We have to think of a way to make them leave as soon as possible," Carlisle mused.

"You think that hanging a sign saying 'not home' might work?" Emmett joked. Everyone in the room stared daggers at him. He sulkingly walked over to the sofa grumbling about our horrible sense of humor. I really wanted to punch him. This was no laughing matter.

"At least Bella is in good hands. The pack will be able to keep her safe until the danger has passed," Carlisle said.

"We said that the last time and that didn't turn out quite the way we expected it to," I hated being so negative but we weren't getting anywhere and I was getting really pissed.

"Have you had any visions that might tell us their intentions Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"None at all," she frowned.

I could hear their concern and it made me feel on edge. _I have to keep Bella safe, no matter the cost!_ Just then Bella walked into the house. She looked much better than before. That made me feel better as well. _We can do this. After all, what can two vampires do to a coven as big as ours?_ For some reason that didn't comfort me as much as I hoped it would. _Why would there only be two if they weren't very powerful. We have made a pretty fearsome reputation over the past year._

**Bella's POV**

"Alright, here is our plan of action," stated Carlisle. Everyone bunched together in a half circle around him, "Bella will go to Charlie's and stay there until further notice. Don't interrupt me yet dear," he said just as I was about to protest.

"Someone must guard her Carlisle," Edward came to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and neck.

"There will be...the wolves," everyone stared dumbfounded at him except for me, "Jacob and his pack will take turns guarding Bella's house. This will give her enough protection and it will also mask our scent there. As for the rest of us, we will do nothing and pray that it is only a visit. Alice, try to get some more information about our guests will you?"

"Yes," Alice trotted off to the table and started concentrating on her task. Everyone else went upstairs, probably to secure their rooms and make any preparations that they could. Edward led me outside and walked me over to where Jacob stood waiting.

"Is this goodbye?" I asked. My throat was starting to clog up and I could feel the tears coming.

"It will be fine. School will start soon and we will see each other there," he gave me one of his crooked smiles and walked back to the house.

"Ready to go?" I had almost forgotten that Jake was waiting there for me. I looked up at the house once more and then solemnly nodded. I hoped that September would hurry up and come so that I could be with my beloved again.


	4. Waiting

**Bella's POV**

The days passed rather quickly which was fine by me. The closer the first day of school came the better. At least I had Jacob with me so I wasn't bored out of my mind. He came everyday. Everyday, except for today. It was a dreary Saturday afternoon and the house was empty. Sam had called Jacob of duty for today and Charlie had to work so I was left all alone. I had tried everything to keep myself entertained. I went on my computer, I did homework while listening to music, I read half of Romeo and Juliet, and even watched half an hour of football. By 2 o'clock I was desperate.

I don't know what I was thinking but I decided that it was time to put my foot down and be a bit rebellious. I ran out the front door and hopped into my old truck. I was practically buzzing with adrenaline as I revved the engine. I almost ran over a neighbor walking his dog as I shot out of the parking lot. On any other occasion I would have stopped to ask if they were ok, not today. I drove down the street like a maniac. I was lucky that there was no one around. I could only imagine the embarrassment my dad would feel if his daughter was involved in third degree murder.

In about twenty minutes I was parking the truck in front of the Cullen house. I don't know why I was trying to be sneaky, they probably had heard me from amile away. Still, it was fun to try. I ran up the steps and knocked on the door. It took afew minutes before Alice swung the door open.

"Bella!" she grabbed me in a tight hug and then dragged me into the house. Carlisle and Esme greeted me with warm smiles and Emmett grabbed both me and Alice in a bear hug. Only Rosalie and Jasper seemed to ignore my presence. Edward leaned casually over the kitchen counter.

"I know you're all probably royally pissed at me but I just couldn't stand being alone in that house," I stated. Though I was addressing all of them, I looked at one vampire in particular. To my utter amazement he didn't chew me out about it and just smiled instead. _Maybe Edward is loosening up a bit after all!_

"Of course we aren't mad," Alice exclaimed happily, "after all, our mystery visitors aren't due for another few weeks according to my visions."

Alice sounded really cheery but she seemed hesitant when she said the last bit. _Was Alice actually doubting her visions? That sounded really bad. _I decided to push my worries aside for the time being and enjoy my day with the Cullens. Who knew how long I would have to wait before I would be able to see them like this again.

Just then Alice jumped up in front of me and dragged me into the kitchen. I was just about to ask what she was doing when she shoved a giant cook book in my face. I was amazed that she was able to lift the thing with just her thumb and index finger. _Damn vampires and their super strength and speed._The page Alice had turned to had a humongous chocolate cake on it. And this wasn't just your unaverage chocolate cake either, it was decorated to resemble a walk in the park or something similar anyway. It had trees sculpted out of dark chocolate with white chocolate leaves. It was also covered in whipped cream making it look like it was snowing.

"What is this for Alice?" I asked when some of the shock had gone away.

"I don't know. I was figuring I'd make something up after I was done," she said. I swear my jaw dropped to my knees.

"You have got to be lying," I shouted. I must have caused quite a commotion because everyone poked their heads in to see what was wrong. As Jasper's head slowly appeared from behind the door Alice slammed the book shut and shoved it into one of the cabinets. Unfortunately for me the cabinet was to full already so the book ended up dropping on my foot. For those of you who haven't had a two ton cook book dropped on your foot, you are the luckiest people ever. I couldn't even start jumping up and down because I couldn't lift the damn book. I started tearing up and my throat was to clogged for me to scream. In the end I just fell to the floor and started rolling around. Around the fifth roll I was able to get my foot out from under the book. This only maximized the pain and I hunched into fetal position and started massaging where it hurt. Apparently all those shitty vampires, who I considered my friends, thought that this was the funniest thing ever and burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," I managed to yelp. This only made them laugh harder. I felt like the clutz of the century even though that incident was, amazingly, not my my fault.

"Stupid vampires, can't feel any pain," I mumbled asI tried to get up. Finally someone came to their senses and picked me up. I was irritated that he was still chuckling as he laid me down on the coach.

"Poor Alice," Edward said. _Poor ALICE! What about poor fragile, human me? I was the one who had a crater in my foot because of that evil pixie._ "You know, she was trying so hard to make that cake for Jasper. I tried to help but we ended up causing the oven to explode so I gave up the idea."

_Jasper! So that's what it was for. Ohhh._ Now I actually did feel a bit bad for Alice. She was many things but a cook wasn't one of them. The prospect of having her and Edward try to cook was enough to make me giggle.

"See, I knew it would make you feel better," Edward smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek.

"I'm really sorry Bella," Alice murmured as she sat down next to me. I realized that she hadn't been laughing like the rest of them. On the contrary, she looked downright miserable.

"It's okay Alice. I promise I will help you make that cake," this seemed to lighten her mood. She flashed me a smile and went to kick everyone out of the kitchen.

"Do you think you'll be okay to stand?" Edward asked with concern.

"Ya. I'll be fine. I'll make Alice do all the heavy weight lifting anyway."

I grudgingly got up and limped over to the kitchen. My foot didn't hurt nearly as bad as it had a few minutes earlier. Still, it was painful to put weight on it so I leaned against the counter for support.

"Alright, you have the ingredients?" I asked.

"Check," Alice answered with a smirk. And the cooking commenced.

*******

Four hours later we emerged. I had never been that tired in my life. Alice and I were covered in flour and eggs because of her inexperience, not to mention that she had burned herself about twenty times on her arms, legs, and forehead. It looked like we had just come out of a war, not some stupid baking thing. I swear, when I saw myself in the mirror I almost strangled her. At some point she had even thrown goose feathers on me 'for extra effect'.

Since the Cullens' expressions changed so fast I only caught a few glimpses but I remember a few. Emmett erupted in laughter and so did Carlisle and Jasper. Edward looked concerned at first but soon joined the boys in laughing. Esme had a horrified look as we left a bunch of goop lying on her carpet. Rosalie stared at us with pure hatred and knocked us both over when Alice tried to give her a hug. It was all so hilarious until the doorbell rang.

I looked around and saw that all of their expressions had turned to panic. I had no idea what was happening but I felt myself being whisked away really fast. Everything became a blurr until I found myself in the upstairs bathroom with Alice.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just that the wolves came and they would get really ticked off if they saw you here," she replied. I relaxed. I hated when they scared me like that.

*******

We washed of all the gunk and put on some new clothes, curtesy of Alice. We snuck down the first few steps and checked that the cost was clear. It was so I ran down the stairs to the living room. Alice jumped down after me. We blindfolded Jasper and made him sit on the couch. Then, we all rushed into the kitchen and started decorating the cake. Since I was no could at shaping the trees, I got the job of putting in the candles. All one hundred and forty-nine of them. I swear, after that, I never would complain about putting eighteen candles on my birthday cake. On the other hand, it took Alice approximately two seconds to light them all. _Show off._

We all carted it into the living room and started singing happy birthday. Emmett and Edward took the blindfold off Jasper and let him walk over to Alice. He gave her a loving kiss and we all cheered.

Then came the fun part. Now I don't care if your vampire, werewolf, human, or otherwise, you cannot blow out that many candles at once. It took us so long that Emmett even brought out a bucket of water. Alice and I tackled him to the ground and he, good naturedly, let us.

We finally finished and everyone took a small piece so that Alice's masterpiece was appreciated. We decided to put the landscape in the frigde because it was to beautiful to eat. We also decided to give the rest of the cake to Charlie and the Quileutes. They had the stomachs for it anyway.

We had just settled down when the doorbell rang again. I wasn't taken upstairs so I guessed that it wasn't the wolves. Edward moved cautiously toward the door. There was a light rap and then a harder knock. Edward opened the door and peered out. He recoiled and tried to close the door but a slender hand kept it open.

From outside I heard a sweet voice. It sounded like a spring or maybe even a light breeze but it also carried something sinister and powerful underneath, "May we come in?" It said.

Edward opened the door slowly and looked back at me. My breath caught in my throat. I felt my stomach do a flip and my heart clench. There, on the porch, stood a girl with midnight colored hair and violet eyes. Next to her stood a boy about her height. He had white hair and piercing golden eyes. On his arm curled a silver bracelet in the form of a snake.


	5. Proposition

**Authors Note: I know this is kind of late but to clear everything up, this story takes place after Eclipse. Most of Breaking Dawn never happened except for the part where Jacob creates his own pack. Hope you enjoy and please review.**

**Bella's POV**

I couldn't breathe. The girl smiled showing off her perfect teeth and large fangs. Later I would find that strange since all of the other vampires I had met never had fangs. The man stood still as a statue behind her. In my dream I had thought that he had white hair but now I realized that it was a very pale blonde. They looked as different as day and night, standing there together.

"Good afternoon, my name is Seiren and this is my brother, Hugue," her voice was smooth and perfect. It made the words seem almost musical. Edward stepped back and Carlisle led them into the room. Alice stood in front of me and cautiously backed us toward the kitchen. It seemed like a good idea except that we had opened most of the windows and it was fall. The breeze ruffled my hair and clothes as it passed by. I could here everyone catch their breath. Seiren's eyes opened in surprise. Hugue leaned in closer to her so that they were almost touching. Edward tensed, ready to spring to my defense.

"So, the rumors are true," Seiren stared at me with interest. I didn't like it. It felt as though I was nothing but a toy that was there to amuse her. I guess it was better than the hungry looks I usually got but it didn't seem that way now.

"I beg your pardon, what rumors would they be?" Carlisle asked. I knew that he was stalling while Alice kept pushing me towards the back door. We were so close when Seiren appeared right behind us. The Cullens appeared beside us in an instant. Hugue walked calmly to his sister's side.

"She isn't at all what I expected," Seiren said turning to face Hugue. He gave a slight nod though he never took his eyes off of us. He put a protective hand over Seiren's shoulder. She shrugged it off and came toward us.

"My deepest apologies for frightening you. My brother and I meant you no harm. We are here with a proposition for you if you are willing to listen," I knew that she was addressing everyone but her eyes never left me and Edward.

Carlisle stepped forward and she averted her gaze, " We will hear your proposition but I make no promises that we can or will help you."

"Agreed," Seiren and Hugue followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room. Jasper, Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie followed. I was about to go too when Edward grabbed me by the wrist and ran me out of the house.

He dropped me on the back seat of his Volvo and took off. Alice had somehow materialized in the front seat and was talking on her phone. I guessed that it was the wolves because she kept telling them that she was very sorry that I was allowed to stay with the Cullens. _Total bullshit in my opinion. It's not the Cullens' fault that the other vampires showed up._

_*******_

We reached the house in fifteen minutes even though it usually took me forty-five. As we neared the porch, Jacob burst out of the woods in wolf form. He gave a growl of greeting and ushered me into the woods. Behind us I heard the grind of wheels on pavement. Edward and Alice had departed.

Jacob kept pushing me on. I tripped so many times that I gave up counting. After a while I decided that riding on Jacob's back was the fastest and safest way to travel. With a lot of help and a few failed attempts, I finally got on. He jumped forward in full sprint and it took all of my strength to hold on. I must say that it was exhilarating to feel the wind through my hair and the rhythm of Jacob's feet on the ground.

We finally broke through the trees and onto level ground. We had come to Jacob's shed. I saw the car that he had built from scratch and a bunch of tools laying in disorganized heeps. Jacob led me over to the house and pushed me in. Seth and Leah were sitting on the small coach arguing about something. They stopped when I walked through the door. Seth gave me a worried smile and a hug while Leah scooted over to the far end of the coach.

"Hey Bella," Jacob had just walked in aswell, " Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. We need to go help the Cullens. They are in danger with those two!" I was getting really uncomfortable waiting for someone to take action.

"We are not going anywhere," Leah snapped, "You are here so that we can protect you and here is where we will stay."

I looked desperately toward Seth and then Jacob. They both shrugged in apology.

"But they're in danger," I choked out. I couldn't let Edward die. I turned to leave but Jacob stould in front of the door. I could feel the tears coming as I sat down on the coach with an exasperated sigh. _I can't just leave them._

**Edward's POV**

I couldn't drive. My vision was tinged with red as I gripped the steering wheel. What do they want? I couldn't read their thoughts. I only caught glimpses and I wasn't even certain if they were the truth or manipulated lies. It was maddening. I was so upset that I nearly ran over an old lady crossing the street.

"Edward, I know this is bad but could you please not kill any innocent people," Alice gripped her door as I made a sharp right. "_You will get us killed with that temper."_

"Thanks for the obvious advice Alice. Now why can't you focus your great intelect into more important things, like the outcome of all of this!" I snapped. I couldn't help feel guilty when I saw her expression. I was one to talk. After all I couldn't read their thoughts either, "Sorry Alice. I just can't believe that I put Bella in such danger. I could have waited until school started, I should have waited." She gave me a sympathetic look and a pat on the shoulder. I refocused on the road and unlucky pedestrians.

I tried to make my entrance inconspicuous but as soon as I entered the door everyone turned their head toward me, "Glad you could make it," Seiren said. For some reason I felt strangely attracted to her and her brother Hugue. It was almost as if they were important for a reason that escaped me. "_You have no idea," _Seiren thought. It was in a joking manner yet I sensed serious implications mixed in as well.

"Now that everyone is here, shall we begin?" Seiren and Hugue rose. "As I said earlier, we have come with a proposition for you." She paused and looked to me. I could only turn to look at Carlisle.

"You may continue," he said. Seiren nodded though she seemed a bit confused that Carlisle was the one giving permission.

"We have heard that you have had a few unpleasant encounters with your masters, the Volturi," she started but was cut off by a series of hisses at the mention of the Volturi.

"You are mistaken, the Volturi are masters only to their coven. They have no power over us," Rosalie stated. Alice was right, our arrogance would get us killed.

"My sincere apologies," Seiren said. I was releaved that she had not taken offense though Hugue did growl under his breath, "It is even better that they are not. I am determined to unseat them. Will you, the great Cullen coven, help us kill the Volturi?"


	6. Dilemma

**Edward's POV**

The room went quiet. For everyone else it would have been a dead silence but I could hear all of the thoughts that rampaged everyone at the moment. It was like a torrent of questions and accusations. It was hard discerning it all. I felt Jasper struggling as he fought the torrent of emotions that threatened to crush him.

"_Think of the girl_," a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind. It was lost just as quickly as it had appeared but I saw a vision of me and Bella sitting under the sun holding hands. She was laughing and I knew that we never had to worry about anything anymore. What was that? I looked at the far end of the table and met Seiren's piercing gaze. For a moment it seemed as though she was laughing at us, but only for a moment. I looked away unable to stand her eyes on me anymore. What were we going to do? Saying 'no' seemed like the smart decision yet I couldn't shake the voice in my head, _think of the girl. _Bella. Would she be safer with the Volturi gone? Yes. But then who would keep order?

_"You."_

I almost fell off of my chair. Who had thought that? It was absurd. We were a large coven but we didn't have the man power for that kind of control.

_"We will help."_

There it was again! Who was thinking this? I had an itch but I was praying I was wrong. I focused all of my attention to the thoughts of my family. At the end Carlisle was in deep thought sorting through possibilities and scenarios. Esme was rubbing his shoulder, thoughts of concern for us running through her head. Alice's eyes were fogged, a vision! I looked closer but there was only fog. Jasper was stoic, contemplating the best defense strategy if this got out of hand. Emmett was leaning on the table contemplating the enemy's weakness. Rosalie, who was next to him, was seething in anger at the very thought of the proposition. All of this still couldn't take my mind off of Seiren and Hugue. They were sitting at the far end of the table with calm expressions and closed minds. One of them must have had cloaking abilities.

"May we have some time to consider your intriguing request?" Carlisle asked. I was amazed how graceful and calm he could sound under so much pressure.

"Of course," Seiren stood up, "We await your decision with anticipation."

"Where, pray tell, will you be staying so that we may send word?"

"Do not worry about that. We will know your decision once you make it, I assure you," she shook Carlisle's hand and turned toward the door.

"What if we do not agree," I blurted out. The minute I said it, I regretted uttering those words.

Seiren looked at me over her shoulder and gave me a smile that showed her long fangs, "Then you should stay out of our way." With that they opened the door and disappeared.

*******

"Alright, now that we are alone, what are we going to do?" Carlisle said as he paced beside the table.

"We refuse of course," Rosalie shouted, "How could we even contemplate this. You all heard what she said, you will rule in their place. How can we do that? And why is she willing to give us the power and not keep it for herself?"

"She did say that they would aid us if we needed. Maybe we would be a figurehead manipulated by them," Jasper mused.

"What did she promise you?" I breathed. It was barely a whisper that, even with our sharp hearing, it was hard to tell what I had said. Everyone looked uncomfortable. I knew I had hit a nerve.

Finally Alice spoke up, "My memories and the ressurection of the vampire who turned me."

Jasper embraced her as the dry tears welled up in her eyes. He looked up and said, "Erasing my memories of the newborn wars and making my scars disappear."

"My humanity back," Carlisle replied. Everyone was shocked. Could that really happen!

"A child," Rosalie and Esme said in unison.

"No more wars and everyone feeling happy," Emmett muttered, "I even saw Jasper make a good joke." That earned him a half hearted smile and a light punch (light being in vampire terms so it would have easily taken out a normal person).

Everyone turned expectantly to me, "A happy future with Bella for eternity."

The room was filled with silence once more. I didn't have to listen to their thoughts to know the question that was eating away at us. _Do we say yes?_

_"_We can try can't we?" Rosalie sounded so desperate, it hurt. All of us wanted to jump to our feet and run for it. If we had been human we probably would have, but all those years had taught us caution above all else.

"They are lying," I stated unemotionally, "No one can kill the Volturi. The Romanians tried and even they failed. How can we hope to stand a chance?"

"Alice?" Carlisle turned his gaze on her, "Do you see any possible outcomes of this?"

"I can't be sure. We haven't decided anything not to mention that I have no idea whether they can manipulate my visions to show the outcomes we all want," she sounded so upset. I felt very empathetic. It was driving me mad that not only could I not get into either of their heads, but they seemed to be able to get into mine. If this was the feeling of getting all of your thoughts read, I must have been the most annoying person on the earth.

"Jasper, you have the military experience, what do you think?" Alice asked.

"Not sure, Seiren said that they would provide help for us. They must have faith in their army or else they wouldn't propose this. I think the best answer is to convince them to show us their force and decide whether it is a smart venture," Jasper replied. I had to hand it to the guy, he knew his stuff. I could see everyone's eyes brighten with hope at the thought. Who knew, maybe we could pull it off.

"Is that our verdict then?" Carlisle turned so that he could see us all. _"Are we willing to risk our existance for this mad ray of hope?" _Everyone nodded, "Very well. Seiren said that she would know our decision, so all we can do is wait for her next visit."


	7. Decisions and Threats

**Bella's POV**

I probably wore a hole into the floor with all the pacing I did. I felt my heart skip a beat when I heard the window slide up. And there he was, beautiful as ever and unscathed. I rushed into his arms without hesitation. His cool skin felt so relaxing and safe. I looked into his caramel eyes reflecting all the love I had for him. If there ever was a perfect moment, this was it.

"What happened?" I finally managed to speak out. His eyes clouded over concern and the moment was gone. What _had_ happened?

"They had a proposal for us," he whispered, "A proposal I am willing to risk."

I didn't like his tone. Something was definitely wrong, "You aren't telling me anything. What was the proposal? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to concern you. Just be happy knowing that if this works, we will be free to live our lives together without constant fear."

"Did they offer to turn me? You know I don't want anyone other than you doing..."

"It's not like that. Do you promise not to do anything rash if I tell you?"

I was about to object but decided that it was better to know than to argue, "I promise."

"They want us to aid them in bringing down the Volturi," he turned away as though he couldn't bare to look at me. I was too stunned to believe it. The Volturi! How the hell were they going to accomplish that?

"Are you crazy!" I know that was the worst possible thing to say but it was all that came to mind. He winced at my harsh tone and I immediately regretted saying it.

"I know what your thinking," he smiled softly as I raised my eyebrows, "Not like that. Bella, please try to consider it. If they are gone no one will hunt you or me and you could stay human for the rest of your life without any interference. I know that some vampires might try to cause trouble but Seiren has assured us that it will be handled. It's per.."

"Don't say perfect because it's not," I couldn't believe my ears, "I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself in this crazy plan of theirs when there is a safer alternative. If you turn me we won't have to worry about any of this stuff!"

I hated the way he stared at me. I knew he didn't want to make me a vampire for his own insane reasons but fighting the Volturi was out of the question.

"Will you at least think on it. We have decided to take a look at the force that Seiren has. If it is satisfactory, we will go on with her plan. If not, we will just refuse."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that it would be that easy, but I knew better. If these vampires wanted the Cullens on their side, they would get them there. And, I was afraid that they were prepared to use whatever means necessary.

"Don't do it," I whispered resting my head on his chest, "For me, please don't get mixed up in this."

"I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe," he picked me up and softly laid me on the bed. I fought back the drowsiness. My eyes stung and my eyelids drooped. Soon I was fast asleep. I didn't even notice when Alice came in and took Edward away.

*******

**Edward's POV**

I tried my best to make her see my point. The more I talked the less sure I felt. I didn't want to turn Bella and this seemed like the only other solution, but it also felt strange. What if there was another solution and I just wasn't looking hard enough? In the end I couldn't take any more. It was a relief when Bella started to fall asleep. Why couldn't it always be like this, Bella safely sleeping in my arms? Why?

_"They came back,"_ Alice's thoughts brought me back from my own,_ "Guess they were serious about knowing our decision when we made it."_

I lightly jumped off of the bed, careful not to wake Bella. Alice stood by the window waiting for me. Well, after this there was no turning back. I took one last longing look at Bella and followed my sister out the window.

Since neither of us had brought a car, we ran. A part of me enjoyed the crisp wind tearing through my hair and the light rain droplets hitting my face. That part was getting overwhelmed by anxiety the closer we got to the house. Had they brought the army or were they waiting to take us to their camp? I heard Alice's mind racing through possible outcomes but all of them kept changing so quickly that both of our heads started hurting from the strain.

As we approached I neither heard nor sensed the presence of an army. Guess it was too massive and would cause a scene. I wanted to believe it but a part of me couldn't help but feel differently. What if there was no army? What if this was a ploy of the Volturi? After all, this would give them an excuse for exterminating us. I could hear Alice asking similar questions. It was unnerving to not be able to hear Seiren's thoughts. It was as though I was trying to read a blank piece of paper and knowing that our lives depended on it.

As we stepped through the door I noticed a few strange things. First, Hugue was not here. The last time he had never left his sister's side. Now he was nowhere to be found. Secondly, i could hear Seiren's thoughts! _"Finally! I expected better, especially from you mind reader."_ I had to admit, maybe it was better not hearing her thoughts.

"I assume you know our decision," Carlisle spoke. Alice sat next to Jasper and I took the spot on Carlisle's right hand side. Seiren was at the other end of the table. She showed no emotion but I heard the stress in her thoughts.

"I have no army to show you, my dear Cullens," she gave us a light smile,"It is just me, my brother, and you, if you decide to join us that is." Rosalie shifted in her seat. She had a triumphant look on her face, _"I knew it. How could I have been such an idiot, to believe that they could actually win." _I also could hear the annoyance in Seiren's thoughts as though she had heard the remark as well.

"Then we must politely decline. I apologize but I have no intention of putting my family at risk with such a slight chance if any," Carlisle replied solemnly.

"Do not underestimate our power Carlisle. I wish you to join us in free will, do not make me force you," Seiren said, her voice chilling me to my very core. _"Who does that BITCH think she is!"_Rosalie screeched in her mind. I tried to grab her but she had already slammed Seiren against the back wall. I froze. Seiren's eyes had changed from their unusual violet to a fiery crimson. Even Rosalie seemed to regret her actions.

It happened so fast that even I didn't see it. One moment Rosalie had Seiren by the throat against the wall. The next, Rosalie was lying on the floor in pieces. Her arms had been severed as well as her legs. Her neck was halfway off and her torso had been stripped of its skin so that we could see all of her bones and organs. It was amazing that she could still scream. I felt painful thoughts sear through my head. Jasper and I both fell to the floor in agony.

"I hope you have learned your lesson, impudent girl," Seiren had reappeared above Rosalie. I tried to move to help her but my legs were frozen. All the fear, confusion, pain, and rage burned in my head, it hurt so much I couldn't even see clearly.

"Since I am in a gracious mood I will help you but you will do well to never pull something like that ever again," Seiren's blazing eyes dulled a bit and she ran her hand along Rosalie's dismembered body parts. Like magic they all flowed back together and she was complete again. Even her clothes had mended themselves.

"Still doubting our chances?" Seiren turned to Carlisle. He was staring in wonder at Rosalie who was still sprawled on the floor.

"I cannot. I'm sorry. You have proven your power but there are still too many of them. I am sorry," he looked like he was about to faint. I could see the glow returning to Seiren's eyes. We are going to be killed if we don't agree!

"Fine, but don't expect any mercy when I rule all vampires, your kind and otherwise," with that she turned to mist and walked out through one of the walls. Somehow I knew that this was not the last time we would see her.

We all gathered around Rosalie. She was still shaken but was able to sit up with Emmett's help.

"What did she mean by 'your kind and otherwise'?" Alice asked in a shaky voice. We all turned to her. I heard a tumult of questions join it. _"Her eyes changed color, how?" , "Purple irises, is it possible?" , "With that power, what will she do?" _I couldn't stop thinking about Bella. What if Seiren used her as a trump card. Was Bella in danger?

I flew out the door and pelted full speed over the deserted road. I didn't care about the chilling wind or the cold rain that spattered in my face and soaking my cloathes. With her speed, Seiren might already be there. The only advantage I had was that I knew where Bella lived. I didn't like those odds.

I skidded to a halt beneath her window. The light was off. Maybe she was sleeping. I dashed up the tree that leaned over her window. And there she was, safe and asleep. A wave of relief washed over me. For the first time since i had left, I felt calm.

I slid down the tree and looked at the sun. It would be morning soon. I turned to leave when my spine tensed and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. _"My thanks, hero. She really is a delicious looking girl." _I spun around to face the trees. There, in full view were Seiren and Hugue. Seiren had a wicked smile playing on her lips. Hugue stood with his arms protectively around her.

No! I had led them straight to her. I tensed for battle. _"I have no intension to fight you." _Seiren jumped down and landed without a sound. Hugue was right behind her.

Seiren held her hands up. That didn't make me feel better, "I know that you will make the right decision," she purred. I backed up.

"I stick by my family," I retorted. She was still advancing and I had my back to the house.

"I know you will join me. And the rest of your family will follow you like dogs. I will use Bella to reach my goal. Who knows, maybe I will convince the wolves to join in," Seiren's smile widened and she ran her finger under my chin. I reflexively bared my teeth. Hugue's grip tightened on her shoulder.

"I will never put my family in danger," I growled.

"You will, under the right conditions," she turned and walked over to the edge of the wood. There she vanished into the darkness. Hugue lingered a while longer but soon he to had vanished.

I heaved a sigh. This would get worse before it got better and I had no idea if we would make it out alive. I snuck into Bella's room and lay down next to her. I guess I just had to enjoy these moments while they lasted.


	8. School

**A/N: I'm sorry but this is going to be a very short chapter. I promise to make up for it. It is difficult to make up the lovey dovey scenes considering I am not a big Edward/Bella fan. I really only did the pairing because I'm in it for the violent action and I was too lazy to think up something else. :P Hope you enjoy the story so far. Reviews appreciated. **

**Bella's POV**

School was finally going to start! I had been counting down the days. I was dying to see Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I woke up a full hour before I usually did and got ready twice as fast. Charlie almost fell over when he saw the breakfast I had made. I think that this was one of the very few times that I really despised my old truck. I guess I should have been thankful considering I probably would have killed someone if I could go above seventy miles per hour.

I have to say that I was horrified when Edward didn't show up until five minutes before the bell rang. He gave me one of his crooked smiles and a quick peck on the cheek. I was dying for something more intimate but I held it in. Just seeing Edward alright was enough for me. I did get annoyed when I caught Mike giving us a dirty look. Seriously, he lost his chance the first time I set my eyes on Edward.

Class started the same way as usual. Everyone was rowdy and couldn't wait to catch up or tell summer stories. It took Mr. Brown fifteen minutes to get them quiet, which he accomplished by running his nails over the small chalkboard that hung to the right of the white board we used. After the grumbles had diminished, he raised his hand.

In an imperial tone that made everyone chuckle, he said, "We will have two new students join us this year. I expect you all to be mature and supportive. Lets see, their names are... Ren and Sara Stowen."

He glanced at the door and beckoned impatiently. A girl nervously stepped in followed by a boy who stood right behind her. Mr. Brown pointed out the seats they were to take. Those seats were right next to mine. The girl, Sara, rushed over and quickly took her seat. She had dark brown hair with matching eyes. She wore a plain black jacket and worn jeans. Her brother, at least I thought he was her brother, walked over more slowly. I could feel every girl's eyes on him. He had the same hair and eyes as the girl. His clothes were definitely more elegant and thought out than Sara's. I had to admit that he was handsome.

"Alright class, I expect you to be social with them but now is not the time, will you flip your book to page 67?"

I couldn't help but notice that every few minutes Edward would turn to look at the new kids. In the end I missed the whole lesson and only snapped to attention when the bell rang. Edward grabbed my hand and practically flew out of the classroom. He only stopped when we were sitting at our lunch table.

"What is going on?" I asked. The worry in his eyes was getting me scared.

"It's them," he whispered, "It's those two vampires from the day before!"

"Are you sure?" I couldn't believe it. Were they shape shifters or something?

"No, I don't see anything suspect in their thoughts but it can't be a coincidence that two new students, brother and sister, appear right after we refuse the proposal. They are watching us, planning how to get us to fight."

"Calm down Edward. I'm sure it is a coincidence. I mean, they look nothing alike and only I can hide my thoughts from you, right?" he didn't seem convinced, "I am the only one, right?"

"They can manipulate what I hear. They can probably manipulate Alice's visions as well," he looked at his feet.

"Hey," I said pushing his chin up, "It will be ok. If it is them, they can't try anything here. Please cheer up, I can't stand seeing you sad."

*******

Everything was going great until we reached my _favorite_class of the day, P.E. We had to play soccer. Don't get me wrong, I like the sport, it's just that using my legs to do more than walk has always been somewhat difficult.

Our team was down by four points when Sara and Ren stepped in for two of the other players. They were good. And I don't mean just plain good, they had scored six goals in fifteen minutes. Our whole team just stood there and watched as they passed it back and forth in perfect sync. Even our P.E. teacher, Mr. Shiz, had his mouth open.

By the time he had reached his whistle, we were up by ten points, "Alright, pass you two. No one likes a ball hog."

To my dismay that is exactly what they did. Sara kicked the ball over to me. I fumbled with the ball as I ran forward. I was only a few feet away from the goal when I tripped over a tuft of grass, my head landing right next to the ball. Unfortunately for me, two other players aimed for it. One of them missed and nailed me right in the forehead.

Pain exploded in my head and I saw stars. Everyone had stopped playing and were now standing over me. I couldn't see them very well and I knew I was about to black out. The last thing I heard was Mr. Shiz telling someone to take me to the nurse.

*******

When I woke up I didn't feel any pain. It was amazing, almost as if I never got hurt. I turned around and saw Sara standing over me. She was holding a bloody rag in one hand and what looked like a syringe in the other. I could see blood covering both of her hands. It made my stomach feel really queasy.

"Wha..." I tryed to say but my mouth felt too heavy to move.

"Don't try to speak. I fixed you up but we still need to make the nurse think that you got hit pretty badly," Sara said leaning over and swiping the rag over my forehead. I didn't get what she was trying to say and the more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. In the end, I let Sara sling me over her shoulder and drag me to the nurse's office.

I stayed there until the end of school. Edward came to get me as soon as the bell had rung. He looked like he was ready to murder someone.

"Was it them?" he said when we were in my truck.

"Who?" I was still feeling fuzzy and couldn't really make my brain work.

"Seiren and Hug... I mean Sara and Ren," he said pulling out of the school parking lot.

"No. Sara helped me out. She took me to the nurse," this was really confusing me.

"Well, you don't seem to be turning so I will let this slip. You have to let me know if they try something, alright?" I nodded weakly. All I wanted now was to go home and sleep.

**Edward's POV**

I made sure that Bella was safely in bed before running back to the school. I was in luck, the siblings hadn't left yet. They hopped into a blue Civic and drove off. I had to follow on foot because someone had taken the liberty of taking my Volvo home. I had to talk to Alice about that.

They drove up into the woods and stopped in front of an old two-story house. It was black and dreary looking but in good shape. Outside were parked a black Audi convertible and a dark red BMW motorcycle. I hid in the trees as they walked in. I stayed perfectly still. About two hours later, Sara walked out onto the balcony. A stray beam of sunlight hit her face. Her skin remained human, no sparkles. What did change was her face. Her hair grew darker and longer and her brown eyes turned a deep violet. It wasn't Sara standing on the balcony. It was Seiren. The clouds broke and she was illuminated in sunlight. I could only stare as two jet black wings sprouted from her shoulder blades.

I was so entranced that I didn't noticed the sunlight turning my skin to diamonds. Seiren turned to stare right at me. Fear gripped me as I looked into those cold eyes. She smiled and retreated into the shadows. Once there she was back to being Sara again.

My limbs had unfrozen. I jumped down from the branch I had been crouching on and ran. I had never run as fast as this in my whole, long existence.


	9. Captured

**Bella's POV**

I have to admit, I haven't been the best girlfriend. I mean, it's not anything serious. It's just, I have been hanging aournd Sara which is something Edward had forbidden me to do. I don't get why Edward still suspects them of vampirism. My proof of that, they walk about in the sunlight. Every time the sun is out and the Cullens disappear, I get together with her and Ren. It has been tricky hiding it but it helps that Edward can't read my thoughts. Sara also ensures that no one sees us and that she and Ren stay clear of him. I only wish he would get to know them.

Today was cloudless so at lunch I went to the grove where we usually met up. It was on the border of the school and partially hidden by trees. When I reached it only Ren was there. he had his hair covering his bowed head which gave him a dark, scary look. I sat on the grass across from him. We sat in silence for a while. It was always hard for me to talk to him. Sara was always the one who started the conversations and he rarely took part in them.

"So...where's Sara?" I asked. I emediately regretted it. Ren whipped his head up and glared at me. He had bags under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days and his hair looked even more untidy. His cold, hard glare chilled me to the bone and I flinched.

"She's at home," he muttered dropping his gaze.

"Is she okay?" something in his expression worried me.

"Of course! Why wouldn't she be?!" he sounded desperate and scared. I wanted to ask more but he was really frightening.

"I...I don't know. Look she's my friend and I want to know if something is wrong," I wasn't buying any of his shit. It really pissed me off when I wasn't told anything.

"Just leave it alone. Why don't you go hang out with your stupid Cullen friends and leave us alone!" Ren shouted. He pushed himself up and ran into the trees. All I could do was stand there staring after him. What the hell was going on?

*******

Edward came tonight. I could feel his strong arms around me. He smelled a bit different though. It wasn''t the usual sweet, soothing scent but rather a sharp, cool smell. I also felt as though we were running. It was so vivid I swear I felt the breeze run through my hair.

I was jolted to awareness. When I opened my eyes I saw leaves and tree roots. A dull pain throbbed near my stomach and I was out of breath. I looked up and saw a cloaked figure fighting with someone. i looked closer and noticed the outline of a familiar face. Edward! I only caught glimpses since both him and his opponent were using vampiric speed.

I was so busy staring at the fight that I failed to notice the small figure slinking toward me. Two small arms wrapped around my torso and dragged me behind a tree. Once there I was thrown onto the back of a small cloaked figure. It started runnning. The wind tore through my hair and clothes. It also ripped the hood off of my captor revealing her face. My voice caught in my throat. I knew her, the short black hair, the cold smirk, those dark crimson eyes. I was being kidnapped by Jane!

I tried to look back but at the current speed we were going at I was afraid I would break my neck. Sometimes I caught sight of another object moving beside us. I was afraid to hope that it was Edward. My hope came true, he jumped out of the trees and crashed into us. I was knocked out of Jane's hands and came crashing to the forest floor.

I looked up and saw Edward drop on the ground next to me. His face was contorted in agony. I reached out to touch him but Jane got there first. She slammed him against a tree splitting it in half with the force. She turned to me and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. I felt the collar tighten around my throat as she started to run. Another figure appeared behind us. This time it was not Edward. I felt my body become airborne and get caught in the strong arms that originally held me. I recoiled at the thought that I had believed it was Edward.

All I could see was moonlight as we ran. How far was I from Forks? Probably too far for anyone to hear me if I cried. Still, maybe Edward would hear me or maybe even a patrolling wolf. I tried to call out but my voice was lost in the roar of the wind. I was panicking and I could feel the hot tears roll down my face. No one would come for me. Edward was probably too hurt to move and Jake and the Cullens were too far away to help.

The wind died down and then ceased. We must have stopped. I twisted in my captor's grip so that I could see. We were in a cave of some sort. Dark walls surrounded us and stalactites hung from the ceiling high above our heads.

I was laid on the floor and wrapped in a thick blanket. In all of the excitement I hadn't noticed how cold I was. I pulled the blanket over my head and curled into fetal position. I felt someone scoot in next to me. I was scared but welcomed the warmth. Warmth? I was with vampires, how could they be warm? I threw the blanket off of my head and looked right into two golden eyes. I drew back in surprise. The man I was looking at had white hair that seemed to glow silver in the beam of moonlight that hit him. It was the man in Alice's drawing.

"Hugue, don't scare the poor girl. We still need her alive and giving her a heart attack won't help," a voice said from behind me. I rolled to face the person who had spoken. It was the same girl as the one from my dream. I wanted more than anything to stick my head back nder the blankets and tell myself that this was all another dream but I also didn't trust those two.

"Sorry to have scared you," the girl said, smiling. This encouraged me a little.

"Who are you?" I asked shakily.

"I am Seiren and this is my brother, Hugue. Perhaps you might recognize us more in this form," as she said this her face started to change. Hugue's was also rearranging its features. Soon I was staring at the faces of my friends, Sara and Ren. I gasped.

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you," Seiren said. She laid her hand against my shoulder, "Sleep now. Tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us."

As I sank into unconsciousness all I could think about was how strange Seiren and Hugue were. They were vampires yet they could walk in the sunlight without sparkling and their eyes were neither red nor copper. Just what were they?


	10. Accusations and Actions

**Edward's POV**

The moment I saw Alice's eyes cloud over, I knew something was wrong. _Jane and Alec are coming for Bella! We may be too late to save her! _I was running to Charlie's before she was even done thinking it. How many times would I pelt down this road at vampire speed because of these power games?

I reached Charlie's in time to see two figures jump out of Bella's window and disappear into the woods behind the house. I darted after them. I hoped to every god I knew that I would be able to run faster than them.

At first I could barely see the two black cloaks flashing through the trees. My breath caught in my chest and I forced myself to run faster. I never believed that vampires could tire until now. My limbs were screaming with the exertion. My efforts were rewarded with speed. I was now running neck to neck with the figure holding Bella. She seemed to be asleep which was good for me. That way she was less likely to be injured.

I didn't think about the best possible attack or even any consequences. I just jumped at the figure. The black hood flew off to reveal Alec's frustrated face. Bella was thrown out of his arms and tumbled through the foliage. I instantly regretted that move. I moved to take her but Alec grabbed me by the hair and yank my head back. I grabbed his arm and pulled with all my might. I heard the sickening crunch and felt the limb loosen as it detached.

I whipped around and charged him. Unfortunately I was too slow and he had me in his grip. It was amazing how strong he was, even without one arm. He had me by the neck and was slowly pulling up. I could feel the muscle tear as he slowly decapitated me. At the last minute, when I was sure he had me and was going to deal the death blow, he let go. I tumbled to the ground and he leapt over me.

I staggered upright and continued my persute. My neck was healing quickly but I was afraid that it wasn't quick enough. Apparently Jane had waited for her brother to join her. It was a very bad move on their part. I had caught up. In the back of my head a voice was warning me that they wouldn't be this cauky without reason, but I just ignored it. I channeled all of my rage and bloodlust and attacked Jane.

Once again Bella was airborne only this time she was awake. I tried to catch her but missed by less than an inch. She went crashing down and rolled away. I turned around and came face-to-face with Jane. I felt it even before I heard her think the word. A scream tore out of me that formed the word she was saying with delight._ Pain!_

I came crashing down in agony and rolled over to where Bella lay. Her expression was one of worry which made everything much worse. How could she worry about me at a time like this. The pain was so great that my vision was starting to get hazy. As my thoughts slowed and my body numbed I knew I had failed. They had taken Bella and there was no way I could save her.

*******

I regained consciousness and found myself in a dark room. It looked like a bedroom but it was bigger than any bedroom I had every seen. I was laying in a giant four poster with curtains on three of the sides. They were a calming violet. It calmed me so much that, for a moment, I forgot everything that had happened tonight. Or was it last night? How long had I been knocked out. Was it even possible for a vampire to lose consciousness?

I got out of the bed with a groan. Every fiber in my body was sore. I reached for the door but it was too dark for me to see. Another strange thing. Vampires were never blind in the dark. I finally found the doorknob and turned it. I found myself facing a long corridor with about ten doors on each side. One was open and had light poring out. I moved toward it.

I stepped through into what looked like a living room. It had a fireplace that was giving of a lovely sense of warmth. Three sofas and two armchairs surrounded it. Lounged on one of the sofas were Seiren and Hugue. Seiren had a concerned expression on her face while Hugue was his usual blank self. I could not read their thoughts which got me on edge. I hated knowing that I could only hear their intentions when they wanted me to.

My family sat on the rest of the furniture. Everyone looked up as I entered the room. _I told you so, _Seiren whispered in my mind. I shot her a bitter look and plopped down next to Alice.

_We are discussing Bella's kidnapping and what we are going to do about it, _she thought. I stared at my feet. It was my fault for not rescuing her.

Apparently Seiren thought so as well, "Now that the hero has arrived, might we discuss what you plan to do in order to get your precious pet back."

"Bella is not a pet," I shouted. "She is as much a part of our family as any one of us."

"My apologies," she said, not sounding the least bit sincere.

"It seems that we must go to Volterra and come to terms with Aro and his brothers," Carlisle said. I heard a tumult of frightened and apprehensive thoughts.

"And what terms are you willing to go along with?" Seiren asked. I could hear her content in every word. She was planning something.

"We will have to see once they are presented," Carlisle answered.

"Even turning that human into one of you?" Seiren inquired. She stared right at me as she asked the question.

"Those bastards will not be responsible for taking Bella's soul," I growled.

"But that is exactly what they will do. You know this very well, don't you?" Seiren smiled at me in sympathy. For some reason that made me want to rip her head off.

"What do you propose we do then?" Carlisle stepped in.

"I have the same proposition as last time. Join us. While anticipating your answer, we hired the Romanians, the Amazons, and a few choice others. With you we would have a force to be recond with. Not to mention that if you can convince the shape shifters to join..." she trailed off and looked each of us in the eye. I could feel her will crashing against mine, subduing my wrath and convincing me with each moment that passed, this is the right decision.

"It was you wasn't it?" I whispered menacingly. "I know you can shape shift. You took Bella and framed the Volturi. Our fight isn't with them, it's with you." I charged at her, arms outstretched and teeth bared. I was so close that I could feel her breathe on my skin. Suddenly the world spun upside down and I came crashing into the fireplace. The flames engulfed me burning everything. The pain was unreal and I probably would have been done for if Seiren hadn't doused me with water from a nearby fish tank.

I lay on the floor, cold and burnt. This was not my night. I stared at Seiren in defiance. I thought she was going to rip me apart herself but instead she turned and smacked Hugue hard across the face. He staggered back and gazed at her in wonder.

"That was too far Hugue," she said. The venom in her voice made me shiver even more. Hugue shrunk back and moved behind Seiren again.

"I think that the numbers work," Jasper stated. Everyone except Seiren and Hugue stared at him in amazement.

"It's true. The Romanians must have vampires with special powers and we know that the Amazons do. It makes sense," his gaze was both pleading and challenging.

"What about Alec and Jane?" I asked. I stood and staggered over to where they were gathered. My clothes were in tatters and my skin was a rotten brownish color. I felt the same way as I looked. Emmett pulled my arm around his neck and supported me as best he could without causing too much pain.

"Hugue can shield you from any mental attack," Seiren's voice called from where she was now sitting.

"This all seems a bit too good to be true if you ask me," I challenged. Her eyes hardened and she turned her gaze to the embers that still glowed lightly in the fireplace.

"Edward, this may be the only way to save Bella and keep her human. Don't you want that?" Carlisle said softly. It irritated me.

"Didn't I tell you before, it was them. The Volturi didn't take Bella, they did. Don't you think it's a bit to convenient. I can't even sense her because she is immune to me. What is stopping them from hiding her here?" I stated in an exasperated tone.

"I can," Jasper said. I stared at him in hope. Was she here?

"Well I mean, I can't feel her emotins here, but I could if she were here. And Hugue can't guard against that because my power is not mental and it is rarely an attack," he stated bluntly.

"So that's our decision then? Throw our lives away for them," I shouted.

"No, for Bella," Carlisle said grabbing me by the wrist. I flinched at the contact and he immediately loosened his grip.

I hung my head and muttered my consent. Alice and Esme voiced their approval and Emmett practically tossed me off when he jumped in excitement. Rosalie reluctantly agreed after Emmett did.

"Alright, I'll by the plane tickets," Seiren jumped up and rushed into an adjacent room. Hugue showed us the door and we stepped into the night. I looked into the sky and saw that it was almost morning. I wondered if Bella was alive to see it.

**Bella's POV**

The Cullen's never had coffins but these vampires did. Though Seiren had told her that she and Hugue preferred beds, coffins just seemed like a fun way to play with human legends. She also had said that they slept. I had no idea what kind of game she was playing or whether I would live long enough to see the outcome and frankly, I didn't care. All I wanted was to see Edward and make sure he was alright.

"Thank you," someone whispered in my ear. I whipped around and saw that it was Seiren.

"You have just sent your precious Cullens to their graves. Hopefully they take out a big chunk of the Volturi with them. It will be easier to kill them when they are fewer in number," she smiled wickedly at me and went to sit on the coffin that I guessed was hers.

"What are you going to do to them?" I screamed. Her smile grew until she reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"I didn't do anything my dear, you did. I simply offered the bait and they willingly took it."

Hugue appeared beside her and gave me his usual cold stares. Seiren turned to him and took his hand, "I'm sorry about earlier but you could have blown it."

"My apologies," he said in a sad voice. Seiren cupped her hands around his face and gave him a long deep kiss. I turned around in embarrassment. A part of me was grossed out by the insest moment but a bigger part was envious. Why could Edward kiss me like that? Without holding back or worrying that he would break me.

I lay down in the small bed that Seiren had set up for me and quickly fell asleep. It might have been morning in the outside world but here it might as well have been night. I dreamed, as always, about Edward.


	11. New Recruits

**A/N: I am actually more of a Jacob fan so no daggers from you guys ok. This is from Edward's POV so Jacob will be bad-mouthed. Don't worry though, he'll put the leach, a.k.a. Edward, in his place. Review please.**

**Edward's POV**

Something was wrong. I knew it. I knew that Jasper was making sense but I couldn't fight back the apprehension that ripped through my head. Wasn't it too coincidental that Bella goes missing right after Seiren assembles a force against the Volturi, effectively spurring us into action and providing us with the one thing that had convinced us not to act in the first place. It seemed that no one else shared my concerns. They were all preoccupied with planning the rescue. I knew I should help but right now I probably would just be in the way.

"Isn't there any way that we could go, rescue Bella, and escape while the Volturi are distracted by Seiren's forces?" I asked.

_"Not this again," _Rosalie thought.

_"Can't he see that if we don't kill the Volturi they'll just take Bella again. They'll probably kill her and us as well," _Jasper mentally growled.

I knew they were right and were tired of my failing ideas. Seiren had caught us in a trap that was impossible to escape from. I cursed that night when I had been too slow to save her. I knew that it wasn't Jane and Alec who had taken her, that much was clear. But if it was Seiren and Hugue, how could I prove it? Everything was falling apart and all I could do was stand here and watch.

"Edward, call the wolves," Carlisle said. "We need all the help we can get."

I stared at him in disbelief. "How many must die because of us? This isn't their fight."

"It is as much theirs as it is ours. Bella is a part of both our families no matter how much you deny it."

I knew Carlisle was right but I wanted to save Bella on my own. This was my mess and I had to fix it. Not to mention Jacob would probably kill me the minute I told him what had happened.

"I'll go with him," Alice stepped up. Before I could argue she had pulled me out the door and we were running through the woods.

"Why are you coming?" I bit out. Alice flinched at my harsh tone but I felt nothing.

"I'm coming because I don't want them to rip you to shreds," she stated. I hated her logic.

"I'm guessing you can't see anything since we're heading over there," I knew Alice was blind around the wolves and that made me feel apprehensive.

"Ya. We're going in blind except for your mind reading skills. The minute you hear something hostile we run," she stopped and pulled me back by the sleeve. "Promise you will. You need to be alive in order to save Bella. Remember that."

We ran the rest of the way in silence. I could smell the border of their territory drawing closer. I grimaced as the scent of the wolves filled my nostrils. It was a very pungent smell that consisted of wet dog fur and dog breathe. It was definitely not the most pleasant but I had grown accustomed to it over the last year. You know things were bad when that happens.

The pack must have sensed us because they had all gathered in a clearing a few miles away from the village. Sam and Jacob were human while everyone else was in wolf form. Something told me we weren't welcome.

"What is your business here?" Sam said stepping forward. His tone was deep and calm but I heard his hostile and confused thoughts. He didn't know what to expect and that made him dangerous.

"We have a favor to ask," Alice said. She held her head high and put on a very convincing brave show. I knew that we were both frightened half-to-death but if we were going to survive this and get the pack's help, we needed to pull it together.

"Mind explaining the two extra bloodsuckers that have been making Forks their home for the past few months, Leach," Jacob snarled. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. What just because they were vampires, we were supposed to be their friends. Stupid mutt!

"The answer to your question is simple, the Volturi have taken Bella," I raised my hand and Sam pushed Jacob back. "Those two vampires are going to assist us in bringing her back but we need your help as well."

Jacob had been shaking violently, but after that remark he burst into a wolf. Halfway through his attack he decided to tear my head off. Hearing this, I was able to escape. Barely. I felt Jacob's razor sharp teeth sink into my arm. The pain was muffled by the shock. I hadn't fully gotten away! Even with my powers he had snagged me.

"Enough," yelled Sam and Jacob immediately let go. I don't think I had ever been more grateful that Alphas had such power for obedience. I sat up and winced as my arm buckled under the pressure. Alice was by my side in an instant. She pushed me up so that I could see the pack.

"It is my fault they took her and I swear that I will do everything in my power to save her. That is why I need you. Bella has a greater chance of surviving this if we work together. Help us please! If not for anything else, do it for Bella. She doesn't deserve to die because of my mistake," I hung my head. If I had been able to cry, I would have.

"We will help," Sam said. "But this is for Bella. You are right. No human deserves to die because of you monsters."

"Thank you," Alice murmured. "Seiren, one of the two vampires helping us, is getting the plane tickets in two days. We will leave in a week."

"So be it," Sam morphed and the pack disappeared into the forest. My arm had fully healed so I was able to stand.

"You idiot," Alice said giving me a hug. "What did I say! One hostile thought remember. And you go around waiting until he was practically on top of you. How you've stayed alive this long, I have no idea."

"At least they agreed right," I smiled. Silently we sped back to the house.

*******

When we arrived, Seiren and Hugue were about to enter the door. They turned and Seiren gave us a warm smile. It caught me off guard. Usually her smiles were either intimidating or just evil. This one actually looked authentic and without a hidden meaning. Once inside, Alice announced the good news.

"Wonderful!" Seiren exclaimed. "I shall contact the airport and buy the extra tickets."

"Are you sure you want to take all of the expenses?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, of course. This venture is, after all, our idea so we will take care of everything," Seiren replied. "You might want to pack warm clothing though. Volterra may be warm but Romania definitely is not."

"Romania?" everyone said at once.

"Well we do need to join the rest of our army and go over our strategy," Seiren said. I felt so stupid for not thinking about that. What did I expect, the army would magically appear and we would defeat the Volturi by just storming into the castle. I really needed to pay more attention to the situation.

"Our first objective is rescuing Bella. We can't afford for the Volturi to use her as a trump card. Once we have her safely out, we will begin the siege. I think it would be wise for one of the Cullens to stay with Bella and make sure she doesn't put herself in danger," she stated.

I stepped forward but Seiren stopped me. "I can't have you sit out Edward. Our plan is very dependent on your powers. That is why Jasper, Alice, and you must be with us. Emmett and Carlisle are also needed. The only ones I am comfortable with leaving are Esme and Rosalie. No offense intended."

Rosalie immediately stepped back. Esme gave her an exasperated look and walked up to me. "I will protect her with my life."

"I am grateful and in your debt Esme," I smiled.

"There is a reason why I said Rosalie and Esme. You both will look after Bella," Seiren said. Rosalie grumbled an okay which surprised everyone.

_"As long as you don't rip me to shreds,"_she thought. I chuckled to myself. Seiren was probably the only person who could control Rosalie. Still it was unnerving the amount of fear I sensed from Rosalie. She must have really been traumatized after that attack back then. Back then. Though it had only been a few months, it seemed like eternity since that night.

"Well, thank you for your hospitality but we must be going. We will see you in a week's time," Seiren and Hugue walked out of the door. For once I felt calm. They knew what they were doing. I was going to get Bella back.

**Bella's POV**

Seiren and Hugue walked through the door making me jump. Seiren walked over to me and handed me a small package. It was a Subway sandwich.

"Thanks," I murmured. As I unwrapped it I saw that it had all of my favorite ingredients. "How did you?"

"Your boyfriend isn't the only one with powers you know. Eat up. Soon I will put you in a coma state. We can't have your Cullens know your here now can we. By the way, how heavy are you?"

Seiren's question caught me off guard. "130 pounds,why?"

"No reason," She walked up to Hugue. "Guess we're paying extra." Hugue smiled.

"Well, thanks to you, not only are the Cullens coming with us, but also the shifters."

"Not the werewolves!" I cried.

"Well, they aren't technically werewolves, but yes. Don't worry. Most of them won't die unlike your precious vampires."

"What are you talking about?" I was getting frustrated with Seiren's games. I wanted answers.

"Haven't you already figured it out? There are two different types of vampires. My kind and the ones like the Cullens. We are the original vampires. Some ten thousand years ago I wanted to create something that will make vampires able to become immune to our two major weaknesses, fire and the sun. Our kind has the same number of chromosomes as humans. Since our senses are amplified, so are our weaknesses. Sunlight and fire burn humans, so we got those symptoms as well. Following me so far dear?"

"I think so. But what does that have to do with the Cullen vampires? If your a different kind of vampire, why do the Volturi matter?"

"Let me continue. I found a way to give us immunity to sunlight. Fire was to great to overcome but that didn't matter as much. So, I was able to use a certain skill of mine to multiply the number of chromosomes in a vampire. It worked very well but there was a serious side effect. The vampire developed a kind of venom that gave humans those extra genes and turn them into a vampire, just with one bite. This put our whole existence in jeopardy. Humans were being turned in too great of numbers. We tried to hunt them down but they could move around during the day while we were confined to the night."

"But you walk around in the sun don't you?" I asked. This was getting strange.

"Yes. Immunity comes with age. If I had known that, I wouldn't have performed that foolish experiment. Anyway, I want my kind to rise in power once more. This means destroying the Volturi. The only problem is that once they are gone, other vampires will start creating chaos. That is why I am gathering such a large force. The more vampires that die now, the less I have to take care of in the future. As for you, your beloved Edward saved you by not turning you. This way, you don't have to die."

It took a while for all of it to sink in. Seiren didn't want to kill the Volturi to help us. She wanted them dead so she could rule and kill every other vampire that wasn't like her! I ran for the door. I didn't know what I expected to accomplish but I had to warn Edward.

Hugue caught me and carried me to where Seiren sat. She stared at me in amusement.

"Time to go to sleep now," she said putting her hand to my forehead. I could feel my eyelids getting heavier as I sunk into unconsciousness. I was not to wake up until we were halfway across the world and by then it would be too late.


	12. Romania

**Edward's POV**

The week passed by slowly. Carlisle insisted that we return to school. I understood his wishes, but I couldn't bare to see Bela's old friends, her seats in my classes, her locker. Those things seemed so empty without her. Charlie was also a problem. After Bella had disappeared, he had panicked. Carlisle tried to explain but even Jasper couldn't keep his emotions in check.

Strangely enough, he hadn't done anything to find her. There were no posters, no police interogating us, nothing. It was the same at the school. No one seemed to notice that Bella was gone. No one except me and my family.

Finally Saturday came. Seiren met up with us at the airport. We waited for the wolves in a small resturaunt that looked over the entrance of the building. We should have picked them up. The waiting was eating me up.

They arrived two hours later. Our plane had already begun to board. In my opinion, we couldn't have run fast enough even if we were using vampire speed. We were almost to the gate when Seiren swirved into another room. Well, it wasn't really a room. A large staircase led into a shuttle parking lot.

"Our plane is at the other gate," I said impatiently.

"No it isn't," Seiren stated. She was already halfway down. Grumbling, I followed.

The shuttle took us to the far end of the airport. Three huge hangers loomed over us. Another car had brought our luggage here. Three men were shoving it into the holding compartment of an extremely expensive looking plane. It was black with white letters that spelled out _Black Moon_. It was large, but not as large as some of the private jets I had seen.

"Are we going in that?" Alice asked.

"Well, unless you still want to get on the other plane. They will be departing soon, so you should hurry," Hugue stated. His voice was very deep. It suprised all of us that he had spoken. Seiren was the one who usually led the conversations.

"Hugue, manners. My apologies for not telling you. This is our private plane. I would use the larger one but it is under maintenance so we are stuck with this," Seiren sighed, looking disappointed. I wanted to laugh. The wolves looked like they were about to faint.

"Can I examine the engine?" Jacob stammered. Always the mechanic. "I'm usually around cars but I know a bit about planes too."

"Maybe when we reach our destination. I still want it to depart on time," Seiren said.

"Ya, don't give it to Jake if you want it to ever lift off again," Quil joked. Jacob gave him a friendly scowl and gave him a strong punch on the arm.

"Everyone onboard," Seiren called from the little staircase that led up to the plane.

Inside, the plane was white. There were two sofas positioned against the walls of the plane. A few chairs lined the front and a small bar sat in the back. Behind that were four bathrooms. The floor was tile and the sinks had intricate designs of coral and waves.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Seiren sprawled onto one of the chairs. I had never seen her drop her formal tone and manner. It was reassuring to see her relax.

"Are there any drinks at that bar?" one of the Quileutes asked.

"Yes, both alcoholic and not. I'd prefer you don't drink the alcohol until we're over the ocean. I don't need to be stopped for allowing a minor to get drunk."

"Minor?" Jacob teased. "But if we hadn't stopped growing, we'd be eighteen."

"Yes, and you can't drink until your twenty-one. My plane, my rules," Seiren growled.

Paying no attention, all of the boys ran over to the small bar. I could have sworn that the plane tilted slightly in their direction.

"Ma'am, we are ready to take off," the pilot called out.

"Alright, everyone find a seat," Seiren glared at the wolves. They complied with a few unpleasant remarks. I didn't think they realized that Seiren could probably push them off the plane when we were over the ocean.

We arrived in Bucharest in the early morning. All of the wolves were snoring on the couches or on the ground. Seiren and Hugue were sitting at the bar. Seiren had a worried expression that put me a little on edge. Alice and Carlisle were playing chess, Jasper and Emmett were arm wrestling, Rosalie was checking for invisible blemishes on her face, and Esme was reading one of the many books she packed. It was hard to imagine that we would be fighting the Volturi soon.

"Everyone up," Seiren walked over and started nudging the wolves. Seth took a sleepy swipe at her. Hugue was there in an instant, his gaze dark and menacing. Seiren put a restraining hand on him.

The wolves must have sensed the tension, because all of them woke up and were gathered around a petrified Seth. Hugue walked back to the bar but always kept his eyes on him.

A black limousine picked us up. Our luggage took up most of the back and all of the trunk. A large steel crate caught my attention. It was definitely large enough to carry a person. Bella?

I edged my way towrd it. A large lock held it together. There were no airpockets or holes of any kind. If Bella was in there, she'd have suffocated.

"Armor," Seiren's voice whispered next to me. I jumped back in suprise. "Hugue uses it even though he doesn't have to. It has sentimental value.

"Right."

We drove out of the city and into the countryside. I lost track of time but after a few hours we arrived at a large castle. The architecture could have put even Versailles to shame. Four main towers reached to the sky. Elegant staircases twined around them. The stairs led to large balconies that protruded from the smooth walls. All of the windows were made of green, blue, and purple glass. Myriads of gargoyles lined every rooftop, tower, and crevice. They were made of gold with eyes of crimson rubies. They contrasted nicely with the black marble walls. Trees lined the road leading to the entrance. Since it was winter, a soft coating of white snow covered the leafless branches.

Above the entrance, a large, circular window gleamed in the rays of the rising sun. It was also made of colored glass. Intricate designs surrounded a figure. As we got closer, I saw that it was a crimson spade with a black wing coming out of its left side and a white wing coming out of its swords crossed above the spade's point. One had a black handle with an amethist gem in its pommel. The other was a white handle with a saphire in the pommel.

We stopped in front of the iron gates that led into the front of the castle grounds. A fountain made of pearls sat in the middle of a flower garden. There were lilies, roses, irises, and many more that I couldn't name. The gates that led into the castle were golden held up by large iron hinges. Seiren opened it with ease even though it looked like it weighed a thousand tons.

"Welcome to our home," she said stepping into the darkness behind the gate. Hugue followed.

I was aprehensive. I could usually see well in the dark, but this, this wasn't just dark. This was black. The air felt heavy with it. Fear swelled in my chest. What if it had been a trap? Seiren could have been an agent for the Volturi, killing Bella and now us! Or maybe it was some other reason. Whatever it was, I was afraid.

Just as I was about to run out, light filled the room. At first it was blinding but then my eyes adjusted. Unlike its exterior, the interior of the castle was made of shimmering white marble. We were in a glamorous hall. Columns lined the walls, supporting a roof that was so high, it was almost invisible. An immense stairway, that could fit all of us standing at arm's length, stood at the far end. Two doors led to other rooms on either side of us. Everything was spotless and shining.

"This way," Seiren beckoned. We stepped through the door on the left and came into a living room the size of a small house. A stone fireplace was crackling to life to our right. Sofas were spread around it in a wide arc. Pool tables lined the middle of the room and ornate rugs covered every inch of the floor.

A white wolf lounged on one of the pool tables. It lifted its head as we stepped in. With great elegance, it jumped down and ran into the arms of Hugue.

"Can't you keep him off the tables?" Seiren said disapprovingly.

"It's not like Lucz doesn't do the same thing," Hugue replied. For the first time since I met him, he was smiling.

"Lucz sleeps on the couch," Seiren retorted. As she said that, I saw something move behind the couches. I swerved and saw a white tiger lope over and rub against Seiren's leg.

"That doesn't make her hair any easier to clean off," Hugue said.

Seiren turned back to us. "Everyone will come in a few days. Until then, I will show you the guest quarters. You may take whichever room you like."

She led us up a staircase. As we got higher, the marble grew brighter and lines of gold started winding around the walls. After an exasperatingly long time, we finally got off of the stairs. The wolves were panting and even I felt a bit fatigued.

The corridor we stepped into was lined with at least thirty doors. The wolves took the first nes they got to and threw themselves onto the beds. I took some more time looking around. I finally chose one that looked something like the room I had in our house. It had a balcony and two of its sides were just painted glass. I threw open the doors and stepped out into the light. My skin shimmered like the marble in the sunlight. I turned away and came face-to-face with Bella.


	13. Mirages

**A/N: This is a very short chapter that goes along with Romania. I added it as a new chapter because it would be too long if I had kept it in the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy! Reviews appreciated.**

**Edward's POV**

"Bella!" I cried, reaching out my arms to hold her close to me. "I thought the Volturi had taken you or maybe it was Seiren. H-How did you find me? Was this your room? Bella?"

She turned away and evaded my touch. She smiled and beckoned for me to follow her. It was as though my legs had a will of their own. She approached the bed and laid her body on the soft linens. I sat down next to her. Lust was overwhelming my mind. I had to pull myself together. I couldn't hurt Bella.

Her hand touched my face. It was colder than usual but that might have just been due to the wind from the open window. It moved down to my neck and then to my shirt. I put my hand over hers to stop her from unbuttoning my shirt.

"Bella, I'm not ready for this," I whispered. But I was ready. My whole body ached for her. She smoothed my hair back with her other hand and leaned in to kiss me. It was warm and lovely. My whole body felt electrified by her lips. I was lost in the deep bliss that was her. My hands moved through her silky hair and across her warm skin. Her hands once again pulled against my shirt. This time I did nothing to stop it. Her shirt fell to the ground with mine. Her soft skin pressed against my marble chest. It was bliss. We only ended our kisses when Bella needed to breathe. I was consumed by my need for her.

My body was growing tired and my lips ached but I couldn't stop. Bella was with me. She moved down to my pants. Slowly she unbuttoned my jeans. I caught her hand and gave her a worried look. She just smiled and continued. My pants fell to the pile of unwanted clothes and we got lost in our lips once more.

Suddenly Bella pulled back. Her face was distorted in pain and disbelief. A spearhead protruded out of her chest, ripping her bra. Where blood should have been oozing, only a thin vapor was twining around the spear. On the tip was a black chunk of granite.

I jumped toward her but someone held me back. As more of the vapor escaped Bella's form began to morph. Her eyes turned a fiery red and her skin grew grey and then black. Two bat wings grew out of her shoulder blades and a tail lashed down to her now clawed feet. Her face became wrinkled and sharp yellow teeth showed from under her curled lip. The spear began to disintegrate. Soon all that was left of it was the head.

The creature stumbled toward it but some invisible force pulled it back. I heard words whispered behind me. Something that sounded like a swear word but I wasn't sure. The creature exploded into flames. Its shrieks filled the room as it fell apart. I covered my ears and closed my eyes. Soft arms closed around me and I felt myself being dragged out.

When the shrieking ceased I opened my eyes again. I was lying on a soft bed. All I was wearing was my boxers. I sat up. A pile of clothes was laid out next to me. I hastily pulled them on and stepped out into the corridor. Seiren was standing outside of the room that I had wanted to occupy.

She turned to me. "I'm really sorry about that. The Succubi haven't been fed in a while. I had no idea that one was desperate enough to go into the guest chambers."

"Succubi?" I stammered. I still wasn't over the fact that I had believed that thing was Bella.

"Yes, they steal energy. Seduction is one of their methods. I keep them in case we are attacked," Seiren said.

"How can it look like Bella?" I stammered.

"They look into your mind and find your weakness. In your case it was your love. Then it forms a mirage of your deepest desire. When you were kissing, your energy was being sucked out. You should stay out of this room. When succubi die they usually form ghouls and attack their last victim if he is alive."

"Right, did anyone else get attacked?"

"No. Your feelings were probably the strongest. It drew all of them away from the others and to you," Seiren turned and stepped into the room.

"Were you the one who saved me?" I ran in after her.

"Yes. I keep a very tight leash on my succubi. When I felt one receive energy, I knew something was wrong."

"Well, thank you."

"My pleasure. It is embarrassing that you, as my guest, were attacked by my own guards," Seiren smiled and led me to the door. "Now, I must make sure the succubus leaves. This castle has enough ghosts already."

I stepped back into my room. More ghosts. That's just fantastic. I collapsed in the bed and grabbed one of the books I brought. Before I had even finished the page, I felt my eyes getting heavy. What a strange place. Vampires couldn't sleep and yet here I was, drifting off. What other secrets did this place hold? I was never to know.


	14. Our Army

**A/N: Please review. I like praise and don't mind criticism. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, my computer is slow and sometimes doesn't fix them.**

**Edward's POV**

Though the succubi experience still haunted me, I was really starting to enjoy the castle. The exterior was very intimidating but on the inside, everything was a classy mix of modern and ancient. There were corridors lined with armored figures that led to big living rooms with plasma screen television sets. Emmett and the wolves couldn't stay away from these. Seiren had let Jacob examine her plane and, just as predicted, he practically blew it up. I swear the pilot's face turned ten different shades of white and red.

The comfort was bothering me though. It had been almost a week and no one was coming. I liked it here, but I also had to save Bella. And I had to do it fast. There was no telling what the Volturi were doing to her. The first chance I got, I asked Seiren about it.

"I don't know. They should have come. The Romanians, at least, shouldn't have been late," she stated bluntly. I wished that she could have put a little emotion in her words.

"Alright, thank you," I walked away.

My favorite place was the back courtyard. It had five giant, ornate fountains and large orchards filled with grapes, berries, and other assortments of fruits. I lay down in a small field of violet flowers. They reminded me so much of the meadow. Bella's meadow. When was that damn army going to get here?

I had just lost myself in thought when I was shaken back to the present. Alice leaned over me and gave me another quick nudge. "_They're here!" _she thought excitedly.

I bolted upright and ran after her. We skidded to a halt right in front of the main doorway. Two gaunt men leaned against either side. One had dark hair, almost black, and the other was a pale blonde. Their eyes were dark burgundy but had lost all of their shine. All they were now were milky, lifeless holes. They were dressed very casually and were grinning menacingly. They were the Romanians.

"So, we hear that your planning to face the Volturi. We have a bit of a grudge against them and would like to join this little escapade," the dark haired one, Stefan I realized, smirked. His voice had a faint accent but was more like a whisper than an actual sound.

"Everyone is welcome," Seiren bowed in respect. I never would have expected this from her. Stefan and his companion bowed in return.

"I am Stefan, and this is my blood brother, Vladimir," Stefan stated.

"I am Seiren, and this is my brother, Hugue," Seiren replied. Hugue nodded in acknowledgement.

"We are the Cullens, " Carlisle said, stepping forward. "This is Esme, Alice, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and I am Carlisle."

We each nodded as our name was called. Then, Seiren led them into the room where we had first come through. About ten other vampires followed, each looking as ancient as the first two. They seemed well-behaved and calm, but once we stepped into the other room tensions rose.

The wolves stood in a line against the far wall and were glaring at the vampires that lined the wall next to us. Paul, apparently unable to control himself, morphed and lunged at Vladimir. Before he even got halfway, Hugue barreled into him and pinned him against the ground. Paul snarled and shook his head trying to get a grip on Hugue but he couldn't. The white wolf, whose name I had learned was Falco, lunged at Paul and held him by the throat. Paul immediately stopped struggling and let Hugue drag him out of the room.

"I won't tolerate this kind of treatment if we are to be allies," Stefan spat at Seiren.

"I apologise sincerely. It will not recur," Seiren replied. She was still calm but her voice shook a bit. She was fighting hard to stay in control.

"I should hope so. Dogs should be kept on short leashes," Stefan snarled.

The wolves started to shake in fury but, to everyone's surprise, it was Seiren that spoke up. "They are not dogs and it is very primitive and barbaric to call them so. You have no quarel with them so do not start one with these foolish insults. I apologise for the actions of the one, but you cannot judge them all for it."

Everyone started in amazement and Stefan was consumed in rage. "And who are you to talk down on someone as old as I?"

"If age is what makes us superior, then you are but an infant in comparison to me," Seiren growled. For a moment I thought I saw the faint outline of her wings, but then it was gone.

Stefan could only glare in hatred as Seiren led them to the guest rooms. Whispers filled the corridor that night. No one could sleep after the excitement that had happened that day. I lay on the balcony and pondered what Seiren had said. Why had she been so defensive of the wolves when she looked at them with such disapproval? I could hear everyone's similar thoughts and questions. It was going to be a long and confusing night.

* * *

During the next few days more vampires kept coming. The Amazons, Kachiri, Senna, and Zafrina, appeared two days after the Romanians. The Irish Coven and Denali Coven arrived shortly after and so did a few lone vampires. Some of the nomads were a tall, blonde vampire named Frey; a slim chinese woman name Mei Linn; and a child of about nine. No one knew his name but I heard it in his thoughts, Christopher.

To our ever growing surprise, Seiren even wound some more werewolves. They were a pack of sturdy African guys. Their hair was wild and they were always laughing and playing around. I later learned their names but was never able to pronounce them correctly. Still, they lifted the spirits of our wolves which lessened the conflicts between them and the other vampires.

As the week passed we got even more recruits. I was actually starting to believe that we could win. Maybe all I really had to do was relax and put some faith in Seiren and Hugue.

"Alright. Now that most of us are here, training sessions start immediately," Seiren proclaimed. So much for relaxing I thought as we walked across to one of the smaller courtyards. Still, my hopes were high for us. We would get Bella back no problem!

**Bella's POV**

I kept having the same dream. The meadow; the pond; the vampire; Edward. Oh God! Edward! I couldn't open my eyes. I felt like I could see him if only I woke up. But I couldn't. The clawed hands of my slumber pulled me back toward oblivion. Edward save me! Edward save yourself!


	15. Vampire

**A/N: I would like to start by thanking everyone who has read and/or reviewed. I am going to Europe on vacation so I may not be able to write for a while. Most probably I will find some way to do it over there but if not I promise I'll get right on it when I come back. Have a great summer.**

**Edward's POV**

It had been two months since my Bella had been taken from me. My excitement was ebbing and worry was replacing it. Training was growing tougher but I was surpassing every obstacle and opponent in my way. I knew I was ready. Most everyone else was also growing impatient. More scuffles broke out between the vampires and shifters. The look on Seiren's face told me that she was thinking the same. It was so infuriating that I couldn't read her mind. The only person whose thoughts I wanted to hear more was Bella. Everything made me think of her. My thoughts were a jumbled mess.

* * *

The sky was a dark gray and snow was beginning to fall. The castle grounds were beautiful but all of it was lost to me. We were gathered in the huge inner courtyard. According to all of the exhilerated whispers and thoughts I could guess that the day had finally come. Time to storm Volterra. Time to destroy those royal murderers. And, most importantly, time to save Bella!

"May I have your attention," Seiren called out. Immediately the whole courtyard grew quiet. Even their thoughts seemed to cease. "Today we go to Volterra. Since I can't fit you all in a plane or ground vehicle, we will be running. I assume you can all move faster than sixty miles per hour."

"You have all trained well. My sister and I have deemed you capable of this. Now you can prove your powers. Lets show those tyrants why we will not simply lie down and die because some egotistical bastards deem us unworthy or troublesome," Hugue said, walking up to Seiren's side. Cheers broke out and the wolves joined in by howling their approval.

The large gates creaked open. Everyone around me stood tense and ready for what was to come. This was what I had been waiting for. My legs stiffened and my hands clenched into fists. I was going to save Bella and then we would defeat the Volturi. They would no longer be our concern. Never again would we have to live in fear.

We surged out of the castle and into the forest as one big blur. Seiren had divided us up into four smaller groups so we didn't catch any unwanted attention. She and Hugue led one; Alice and Jasper led another; Carlisle and Esme a third; and Rosalie, Emmett, and me led the last one. Jacob and Sam eventually branched off with the wolves. They would have to stick to a more uninhabited route.

* * *

Like that we ran. Two days and nights passed and still we never stopped. By the third morning we had finally reached the Italian border. As Volterra grew closer, my anticipation strengthened. I tried to keep my head but everyone else's blood lust and adrenaline only increased my own. Soon I would be able to see the castle walls and the red flags waving in the wind. Soon we would pass through those walls and tear apart those that they protected.

**Bella's POV**

I awoke from my coma in a small bedroom. At first I thought it was just another dream, but there was no black winged vampire or dead body. I tried to sit up. Apparently being unconscious all that time had weakened me and my arms let out. I fell back on the bed with a thud. Looking around I saw that there were no windows in the stone walls of my room. The only way out was an iron door to my right. As I studied it I knew there was no hope of me being able to push it open. Luckily, I found I didn't need to. Seiren had just stepped in.

"How was your sleep?" she asked in a kind tone, as if she actually cared.

"Whe-" I began.

"Edward? He's outside fighting Hugue," Seiren interrupted. "Don't worry. It's training for later on. He won't get hurt... Yet."

It was as if she was looking into my head. Answering all of my questions before I had even finished thinking them. "How are going to take me to Volterra without him seeing? Or are you planning on killing him here?"

She laughed and looked at me as one might look at a naive child. "I told you already. I want your beloved Edward to kill as many vampires as he can before he is finally destroyed."

"No!" I screamed, lunging at her. She side-stepped me just as my hand brushed against her arm. Flying past her, I landed in a heap on the floor.

"What do you expect to accomplish like that?" she said grinning. "Even you aren't stupid enough to think that you can catch me, much less hurt me."

"You never answered my question," I grumbled, pushing myself into sitting position.

"How will I hide you? Simple. I will turn you into a vampire and then cloak your appearance," she replied. "I can cloak you as a human but it gets tiring so..."

"Turn me... you mean into a vampire like you or like the Cullens?"

"Like me of course. I am too exhausted and annoyed to start splitting chromosomes right now," as she said this, Seiren leaned forward and grabbed my shoulders. "All you will feel is a slight pinch. Then, you will fall asleep. When you wake you will be hungry. There will be food waiting for you."

With that she tilted my head back and sank her teeth into my neck. It was nothing like James' bite. Seiren actually had fangs which made it a bit more like getting two shots than being bitten. I also didn't feel the burning of the venom in my system. She definitely wasn't like Edward's kind. Seiren's fangs pulled out and she started to drink. The sensation was heavenly, yet uncomfortable at the same time. I felt like my mind and body were two separate things.

Just as my vision grew hazy, Seiren pulled out and handed me her wrist. Something warm slid down my throat. It tasted like chocolate strawberries and Edward's lips. My two favorite flavors. I drank for a long time, savoring every bit of the texture and feel.

Suddenly it stopped. I cried out for my utopia that had been taken from me all too quickly. Two warm hands touched my face and I heard soothing words being whispered to me. The hands ran along my hair in calming strokes. They were soft, like feathers or cotton.

"Better?" it was Seiren's voice. I tried to open my eyes. My vision was blurry and tinge in a red hue.

"I'm... I don't know. I feel like I'm missing something," I mumbled.

"You are thirsty?" it was both a question and a statement.

"Yes," I answered, now realizing the dry feeling in my throat.

"Here," I felt something warm slide down my throat again. It tasted wonderful and eased my discomfort, and yet it was nothing like what I had tasted earlier. Still, it was just as disappointing when it stopped.

"More," I whimpered. As I said this, I reached out to try and grab whatever Seiren was giving me.

"There is no more. You drained him dry," I opened my eyes in horror at what she had said. I had drained him? I looked over Seiren's shoulder to see a man lying on the floor. His skin was a pale white and there were two small punctures on his neck. I felt the inside of my mouth. There were no fangs, so how could I have punctured him?

Seiren got up and walked over to the body. "Your fangs won't grow out for a while so I had to tear him open for you. Soon you will learn to cut their necks open with your nails or other sharp materials."

"Why did you let me kill him?" I shouted. Seiren had pushed the man over so that he was sprawled across the floor. I looked away as my eyes met his lifeless ones.

"Because you needed it. The sensation. You will learn how to control yourself in time but all newborns need to kill in order to complete the transition," she raised her hand over his body. Black smoke came out of her fingertips and spread over it. Soon there was nothing to see except it's outline. After a while the black smoke returned to Seiren's hand. She frowned and then it sunk back into her skin.

"You really drained him. Not even a drop left," she smiled at me. Where the body had been, there was now nothing.

"How did you-" I started.

"My own power. Your precious Cullens aren't the only ones with gifts," Seiren extended her hand and helped me up. I felt so light. Almost as though I had no weight whatsoever.

"Do you have a mirror?" I asked, curious and excited to see my new body.

Seiren brushed open some curtains that I hadn't noticed before. Behind them was a mirror outlined in golden designs. Most of them were vines entwining little humans or dragons. On top was a large Fleur de Lis. But that was not the thing that held my attention. I couldn't take my eyes off of the figure staring back at me. She had long, dark brown hair with even darker brown eyes. not the red that I had been expecting. Her skin was pale but still seemed to have life in it. Her mouth was a dark red with a small smudge on one side. I reached to brush it off and to my surprise so did she. I still couldn't believe that it was me in that mirror. That creature was breathtakingly beautiful. No, beautiful couldn't even begin to explain her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

"So, do you like what you see?" a voice startled me and broke my concentration on the reflection.

"Yes. But how can I look so... well-" I couldn't finish.

"Human," Seiren guessed.

I wanted to answer but I was too captivated by what I saw in front of me. I had turned to look at her and found a totally different person staring at me. The first things that caught my attention were her eyes. Instead of the angry crimson color they had been when I first saw her, they were the calm, deep purple that I had seen on the night that she and Hugue had captured me. I focused on the rest of her features. Her hair was as black as midnight or space. Her lips were even redder than mine against her pale skin. It was chalky but still more soft and human-like than any of the other vampires I had met. Her dress was sleeveless. It was made of velvet and was the color of blood. The lacing was made of black silk as were the elegant gloves that covered her hands and forearms.

"When you feed the blood runs threw your veins. It is different from the other vampires because the blood that they consume is immediately turned into more venom," Seiren's voice again pulled me back into reality. As wonderful as this was she still wanted to harm Edward.

"How do you know I won't attack you now that I have the power to?" I said smugly. Even I knew that newborns were stronger than the older vampires.

"Again you are thinking in terms of the other vampires. With us age means strength. By the way, put this on," Seiren handed me a tube of what looked like lotion. "It will protect you from the sun and cause your skin to glisten just like the other vampires."

I hesitantly put it on. "So, you can burn in the sun?"

"Not me but you can," she replied. "Don't worry though, this stuff lasts about a week and is waterproof."

"I want to see Edward," I stated after I had finished putting the lotion, sunscreen gel on.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to. And don't think about trying to run away to him. I will make sure that he sees you as one of the Volturi," I didn't have to ask to know what she was inferring. Edward would kill me and then she would reveal that it was actually me. Edward would be mad with grief and would want revenge on who he thought was responsible, the Volturi. I growled. I couldn't win against this bitch.

"We are going to converge in the courtyard. I will come get you. Make sure you behave," seiren said and then vanished out the door. I punched the wall creating a small crater.

**Edward's POV**

Volterra was finally in sight. I ran even faster. Bella was near, I could feel it in my bones. Our army had split into even smaller sections. Our plans were to slip into the city unnoticed. Then Carlisle's group would cause a ruckus. That would let us sneak into the actual castle. Once there, Jasper and Alice's sections would branch off and confront whoever was there. It would go like that until it was just me, Seiren, and Hugue (and of course our groups). From there we would rely on Hugue's mind skills and my senses to find Bella.

Everything was going smoothly. We had just separated from Emmett's group when we ran across a long corridor. My nostrils flared as I was hit by Bella's overwhelming scent. "This way."

I guided us through many rooms and corridors, always following her scent. Hugue kept telling me when he caught glimpses of what she was thinking. He, unfortunately, said she was still too far to get a clear message. All he said was that she was frightened. Believe me that was all I needed in order to set an even quicker pace. We would meet an adversary every once in a while but there was always someone who broke off to face them.

We soon found ourselves in the main throne room. I spared a look behind me and saw that it was just me, Seiren, Hugue, the two Romanians, and an unknown female vampire left. It was definitely enough to face anyone. Or so I thought.

"Welcome friends," a voice said from behind one of the thrones. Aro stepped into view and I immediately tensed, ready for anything.

"I think we can safely say that they are no longer that, Aro," Cauis said, stepping out from behind his own throne.

"Yes, it appears so," Marcus also joined them.

"Such a pity. I really was looking forward to having your gift Edward," Aro sighed in emphasis. "Jane."

The young girl stepped out from the shadow of a column. Her eyes seemed to find their way to me first and I braced myself for the pain that would surely engulf me. Only it didn't. I could tell that she was trying, but I felt nothing.

"Alec, is this your way of pissing me off?" Jane screamed. Her voice was childlike and shrill.

"Well, this is interesting indeed," Aro mused. "I would love to figure out which one of you is the shield, but I'm afraid that you are all too dangerous here. Maybe a while in the dungeon will make you more subservient to our commands."

As soon as he had uttered the words, the floor beneath us began to tremble. I jumped to the side but it was as if the whole floor had caved in. I fell like a rock into the bottomless black hole. Except it did have a bottom. I hit it hard enough to feel my head crack. Right before I lost consciousness I felt something or someone else fall on me. A warm liquid trickled down my throat. It caused an overwhelming sense of euphoria as I sank deeper and deeper into the dark.

_

* * *

_

_"I failed," _someone thought.

I opened my eyes to a white landscape. Snow covered everything except for a dark patch of red to my right. In the middle was a wolf. White as the snow surrounding it but also covered in blood. A girl of about eight sat with her head buried in the wolf's coat.

She lifted her head and I caught a glimpse of black hair from under her hood. She also had eyes that were a dark purple. They seemed scared and angry. She reminded me of someone but I couldn't quite remember who.

_"Why does everything have to die," _the girl thought. _"No. I won't ever die. And I won't let anyone else I love die either!"_

**A/N: Thank you again for reading. I hope this chapter has sparked your interest and will keep you reading even though I may not write for a while. :)**


	16. Memories Fall Like Snow

**A/N: I'm Back and ready to write! Sorry if I mix up a few things but I haven't written or read my fanfics in forever so please forgive any mistakes and don't forget to review!**

**Edward's POV**

It was snowing. That was the first thing I noticed. The soft, white flakes swirling in the wind. They felt wet and cool as they landed on my skin.

I looked around. Snow covered everything. I seemed to be standing in the middle of some old runes. The stones were covered in dead branches and snow. By the locations of some columns and wall I deducted that I was in what used to be a great hall.

I tried to remember what had happened but couldn't_. _Something about the Volturi and Bellla. Yes, Bella! I was rescuing Bella when I fell down. But where was I know?

A soft sound startled me from my thoughts. I tensed and whirled around. A small girl was walking toward me. She had black hair, though the top of her head was caked with snow, and dark purple eyes, they seemed really familiar but I couldn't place my finger on where I had seen them before. She seemed cold despite the large black coat that she was bundled in, her cheeks were flushed pink and streaked with tears.

"Are you lost," I asked. "I would tell you my name but I don't seem to recall it right now."

The girl showed no signs that she had heard me. She just walked past and collapsed next to one of the columns that was still partially standing. She then took out a bag and started rummaging through it. When she didn't seem to find what she was looking for she through the bag on the ground and started to cry harder.

I walked over and sat next to her hoping that my company would cheer her up. It didn't seem to help at all and as she sobbed her cheeks grew redder and redder. I was expecting to feel the familiar burn in my throat as the bloodlust set in but I didn't. It was strange but I wasn't about to complain.

We sat in silence for a few minutes staring at the white expance that surrounded us. I was starting to feel numb when I heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby clump of bushes. Apparently the girl had heard it too because she was now standing behind one of the columns poised to run. I tried to stand as well but my muscles wouldn't respond. I prayed that whatever was behind that bush wouldn't harm the girl.

Suddenly a boy fell out of the bushes. He had silvery, white hair that looked ruffled and unkempt. His eyes were a deep gold but were rimmed with red. It seemed like he had been crying too. He tried to get up but fell over on his back. His knee was cut and bleeding. I gritted my teeth and waited for the coming pang of hunger but again it didn't come. What had become of my vampire instincts? Was I a vampire at all? Had I ever been?

The girl poked her head out from behind the stone column and stared at him. Then, slowly, she started to walk over to him. She had a worried expression on her face as she helped him up and walked him over to where I was sitting. She set the boy down right on top of me and, to my surprise, the boy just sunk right through me.

My muscles finally responded as I scooted out of the way. The girl was rummaging in her bag again. This time she pulled out a roll of cloth and a bottle full of a transparent liquid that resembled water. When she opened the bottle though, I caught a whiff of strong alcohol, maybe rum or whiskey. The girl pored some on the bandage and then on her hand. She then started rubbing some on a cut on the boy's knee. He let out a little squeak of pain but then relaxed. The girl took the bandage and wrapped it around his knee. The boy flinched in pain but didn't move away.

"Why did you run away?" he asked. His voice was soft and scared. "Why did you leave me?"

"They would notice if you were gone and I didn't run away," the girl replied. Her voice had a mix of pleasure, annoyance, and concern.

"You haven't been home for three days now. In my opinion that is running away," the boy argued. He definitely seemed to be happier now.

"It just takes a long time to get to this place that's all."

"Will you come home with me?"

"Well I can't just let you wander around on your own. I'm surprised you didn't get eaten or lost. You're completely hopeless."

"Well Cerberus helped a lot," the boy replied sheepishly. As soon as the boy mumbled the words a white wolf jumped out of the bushes that the boy had been hiding in. I backpedalled out of the way as the wolf jumped at the two kids. I expected the wolf to finish them off with one bite but instead it started licking the girl's face. Both of the kids started laughing and petting the wolf. It was an odd sight but I felt releaved that the boy and girl weren't in any danger.

The wolf turned abruptly and started barking at me. The girl and boy tensed and backed away. I was about to say that I wasn't going to hurt them when I noticed that they weren't looking _at_ me, but behind me.

I spun around and spotted a man on a horse looking down at the children and the wolf. He wore a rusty suit of armor covered by animal pelts. In his hand was a long spear while a bow and short sword hung on his saddle. I couldn't get a good look at his face, hidden as it was by his helmet and hood. The man raised his spear and shouted what seemed like a battle cry before he charged. The boy screamed and ran while the girl tried to pull the wolf with her. The man was getting closer so the girl let go of the wolf and started running as well. I ran at the gallopping beast but only went through it.

The girl tripped over a stone that was hidden in the snow. She turned with fear in her eyes as the horseman drew closer. Just as the man was about to strike the wolf jumped onto his horse and bit his hand. The man growled and threw the wolf off. The wolf fell in a flurry of snow. It was so well camouflauged that the man had to strike blindly with his sword. At first all seemed white except for the specks of blood falling from the wound on the man's hand. I kept trying to run at him but to no avail.

Suddenly a yelp rang through the sound of the swinging sword. The ground once so purely white was now being covered by a sea of red. The horseman had struck the wolf right through the neck. The girl screamed when she saw the blood on the snow. Her irises turned from purple to black and her small hands closed into fists. A dark mist seemed to grow out of her as she stared at the body of the wolf. With another scream the black mist exploded outward and enveloped the whole clearing. The snow and runes disintegrated before my eyes and the shockwave sent me tumbling to my knees. Trees were reduced to nothing and the ground was ripped apart from under my feet but the worst part was when the man was enveloped in the mist. I watched as his skin started to sizzle and then turn grey until it disintegrated. Then his muscles and organs were torn out and blown to nothing. Finally his bones crumbled and dissolved into nothing. There was absolutely nothing left of him, not even a speck of ash.

The mist retracted and returned to surround the girl for a few seconds before disappearing. She looked around and located her brother who sat a few feet away on the edge of the crater that had been created by the blast.

The girl started walking toward the boy but he flinched away. She stretched out her hand and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up.

"Let's go home," she uttered in a soft voice. The boy just stared at her with tears in his eyes. "Don't tell them or they'll kill me. Promise me you won't tell."

"I promise. I told you that book was evil," the boy muttered.

"It'll help me protect you Hugue. That's why I'm doing this," the girl retorted.

I froze. Hugue. I knew that name! Seiren's brother. That meant that this had been them just no. But how was it possible? Seiren and Hugue weren't just children. Still, if Seiren could have done that when she was just a human child, I couldn't even imagine what she was capable of as a vampire.

The scenery started to get fuzzy. I swayed and hit the ground just as everything around me turn black.


	17. Blood and Soul

**Edward's POV**

Next thing I knew I stood next to a bathtub. I had no idea how I had gotten there from the snowy runes but I had a really bad feeling about it. The room around me was lit by a giant chandelier holding dozens of blazing candles. The walls and floor were made of black marble while the ceiling was covered in red drapes. A large mirror covered half of the wall on my right and showed my ghostly complexion now illuminated by the candle flames.

I heard a door open. Turning I saw a woman with long, silky black hair walk up to the bathtub. She looked like she was in her twenties but had eyes that seemed much older than she was. She bent down and ran her fingers over the golden rims of the tub and down the white marble. Apparently satisfied she stood up and started to take off her clothes. I quickly turned the other way but I knew that if I could, I would have been blushing like crazy.

"M-Madam, I-I don't believe you noticed me but I'd rather you save us both the humiliation of undressing in front of me," I stuttered. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that she had put on a bath towel. My shoulders slumped as I relaxed a bit.

She headed for the door, stuck out her head and shouted,"Alright Alexandre, bring them in."

A man in a white robe walked in followed by a dozen other people. They appeared to be slaves since they wore chains on their necks hands and feet. Most were young women but there were a few that were men. I backed out of the way as they were herded into the room. I could read the fear in their eyes and minds. My stomach was doing flips and I had the strong urge to run out of there but something told me that this was important and I had to stay.

"I told you not to have chains on their necks, Alexander. It makes it much harder to actually slit their throats that way," the woman scolded. My eyes widened in fear. She was going to kill them!

"My apologies, my lady," the man, Alexander, replied. They said this in such casual tones that it sounded like the most normal thing in the world. Certainly not the attitude someone had before committing murder.

I stared in horror as Alexandre made the first man kneel by the bathtub. The man fought against it but he couldn't move against the chains. The woman came up to him and made a small incision in his throat. A trickle of crimson ran into the tub and pooled at the bottom. The man groaned in pain but stayed still.

"Know, give me your blood and soul so that I may offer it to Death in exchange for immortality," the woman smiled menacingly at the slave. His eyes widened and he shrieked. His second scream was cut off as she slit his throat and held his body over the bathtub. I wanted to scream but couldn't find my voice. I spun away from the scene and spotted a spear next to the door. I had to save them, those innocent people, from that mad, devil woman. I reached out to grab the spear but as soon as my fingers closed around it they turned to smoke. I pulled away gasping and looked down at my hand. Slowly, it was returning to its original shape.

I lifted my head and returned my eyes to the horrifying scene. The woman had already decapitated two more slaves and was moving to the other ones. I tried to turn away again but something held me in place. My eyes couldn't move away from the blood and the corpses, so much red. Red like the ceiling, red like the eyes of the two vampires that had proposed to kill the Volturi, and red like the flushed lips of my true love. Bella! Oh, Bella where are you? Save me, please! Only you can and your gone. Tears streamed down my cheeks which was odd but strangely relieving. I had to see this, I knew that it would help Bella in some way, so I had to. Growling I refocused my mind on the woman.

She had reached the last person in the line. "And do you willingly give me your blood and soul?"

"I can't. I'm afraid to die. And why are you asking me anyway? You didn't ask the others," the small girl said defientely. She was probably no older than seventeen. Seventeen. That's how old I was. That's how old Bella wanted to be when she was turned but she was already eighteen. Who was Bella? Was she important? It felt like she was. Hadn't I been thinking of her just a moment ago?

"The last sacrifice must be voluntary or else it won't work,' the woman said in a sweet voice. Her eyes softened as she gazed at the girl. "Tell me why you're afraid."

"It looks like the blade hurts," the girl whispered "And I haven't lived much. I want to go places and see things and feel. I can't do that when I'm dead, can I?"

"I don't know what is beyond dead but life is not all that wonderful, believe me," the woman scowled and turned her head away. A black lock of hair covered one of her violet eyes. Seiren usually wore it like that, I realized. Was this woman Seiren?

"Well why don't you ask that stupid Death that you're going to sacrifice me to!" the girl yelled. She was sobbing and shivering but still standing her ground. She was exactly like... Like who?

"It doesn't answer that question, even to me, but I can assure you that I will make your transition from the living as painless as possible. If you let me have your blood I'll take it without hurting you. You might even find that it feels good. At least that's what the others like you thought."

"Alright, as long as it doesn't hurt," the girl said with a hint of a smile on her face.

I wanted to scream at the girl to not be and idiot and to run but I could hear the despair in her thoughts. _"My life has been miserable up until now and here was a shot to die painlessly." It has to better than my fate if I do live on, doesn't it?" _I watched in horror as the woman, whom I guessed was Seiren, opened her mouth. She embraced the girl and sunk her teeth into the girl's throat. I noticed that she had no fangs so the girl whimpered as her skin was scratched until finally breaking. Why don't you fight back? I wanted to scream. I ran at Seiren, scratched at her skin, pulled at her towel but my hands just turned smoke. I cried and the tears burned my eyes. I couldn't give up, that was Bella! For one frightening moment I saw Bella in Seiren's arms instead of the girl. No, not to Bella. Please. I had no more strength, my knees gave out and I fell to the hard, marble floor. In front of me I saw the girl's skin turn pale and then white as her life was being sucked out of her.

"You were right, it does feel good," the girl whispered as her eyes fluttered and then closed. I gasped with her as I felt her mind go dark and disappear. No more thoughts. No pain, no suffering... no happiness.

"That was my first time actually drinking the blood," the woman said dropping the girl onto the floor with a sickening thud. "The book said I shouldn't drink it but that tasted so good. You may leave now."

The servant, Alexander bowed and left the room. Seiren sighed and slipped out of her towel. I was too dazed and infuriated to feel embarrassment. A little blood spilled over as she settled at the bottom of the tub.

_"The book warned me not to submerge entirely but I think I'll take the risk." _I was startled that I could hear her thoughts. Back in Forks I could sense that something was blocking me but I had guessed that she was shielding herself. Interesting.

Seiren took a deep breathe and slid her head under the blood. Her legs, which had been sticking out, now too disappeared under the red liquid. I waited for her to come back up but the trail of blood that came from the pile of corpses caught my attention. It stretched from the bodies to a thick book that seemed to be absorbing it. That must have been the book Seiren had been talking about. The same book that Hugue had said was evil, I realized.

I walked over to it and flipped it open. Suprisingly my fingers didn't turned to smoke when I touched it. I could feel something inside it, something alive! It was written in a language I didn't understand, something ancient. The first page depicted a skeleton in a cloak holding a goblet above its head. From the goblet spilled a tiny ruby drops which I guessed represented blood. The drops seemed to accumulate the more I looked at it until I realized that it was the blood from the corpses. The book was actually absorbing the blood and pouring it onto the skeleton. Soon the trickle had become a steady flow that covered the whole body of Death. It turned it's head down and stared with bright crimson eyes at me. The bones were covered in muscle which in turn was covered by skin. Four wings erupted from it's back, two black and two white. And then the screaming started

_"Pain! _Searing Pain!_ What is this? _It wasn't supposed to feel like this!_" _seiren was screaming mentaly and aloud. I clutched my ears to stop it but the mental screaming continued. i rand over to the tub. Seiren was writhing under the water with her eyes and mouth wide open. I was paincking so I didn't notice that the book was in my hands until I dropped it into the blood.

Without warning Seiren burst out of the tub. She started shivering on the ground and screaming even louder. "_It burns! No one ever said anything about burning!_

I stared in terror as I started to realize what I was seeing. Carlisle had said that the origin of vampires was unknown even to the Volturi and Romanians. What if she was the first vampire? It was her, Seiren, the first vampire! The reason for my existence!

"Seiren!" a man with white hair and deep golden eyes flew through the door. "Alexander!"

The servant rushed into the room after him. "_Oh my gods, what did she do?"_ I heard them think in unison.

"Get this place cleaned up before anyone else notices," the man cried. He picked Seiren up and wrapped her in a new towel that Alexander had brought in. She stopped screaming but held onto him for dear life as he carried her out of the room and through another door that was hidden in the wall. The door led to a winding staircase that stretched up to the dark roof that was hidden by shadows. I followed. They ran up and on until I couldn't see them anymore but I guessed that there was only one way they could have went. Following the sound of the man's footsteps, I continued up the marble steps.

At some point I heard them slow down. I tried to focus but my mind kept going back to what I had seen, Seiren was the first vampire! I kept climbing. Why wasn't she with the Volturi then? I was sure that they would have accepted her without hesitation yet she was trying to fight them. The stairs kept going, spiraling into the sky. Maybe she was with the Romanians. Up and on I climbed. Where had they gone? I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. Spiraling on and on. Where am I? The steps kept going. When will this end?

And then it did. I stepped into a corridor with about a dozen doors on each side. They were in there, in one of them. I was almost too afraid to go on. What would I find? Did I want to find anything? No, but I wanted to get out of here wherever here was and this was the way to do it. I had an unquestionable feeling that I had to see where they were.


	18. Final Symphony

**A/N: So, end of the story! I am so excited! Thank you everyone who has read this and thank you for the supportive reviews. I promise I will start writing the sequel as soon as I think of a good start. I think it will be the last part of the chapter but in Bella's POV. Tell me what you think. Anyway thanks again and :) REVIEW!**

**Edward's POV**

The first few rooms were empty but I knew they were here. My breathes came in short gasps and if I hadn't been a vampire I probably would be dizzy with air loss. The chandeliers illuminated the hall's red carpet and grey walls making it seem like I was in a decorated dungeon. Fourth room, empty. Fifth, empty. Sixth, seventh, eighth. I wondered until I couldn't remember how many doors had passed.

Finally I came to a door with an engraving of XVII, the roman numeral for seventeen. I felt a heavy mist envelop my senses as flashes of lights illuminated the bottom and corners of the door. I was afraid to blink and have this fragile moment escape. With trembling hands I ran my fingers over the smooth door handle. Pushing down ever so gently I opened the door just a crack. _"Blood." _The red haze hit me like a truck. I lurched back as the desire wracked my body. I saw shadows move in the room around me but couldn't perceive anything else through the crimson curtains that covered my eyes.

Seconds passed, minutes? I wasn't sure but I could feel my body cool down as the hunger subsided. My vision cleared and I was able to push myself off of the wall that I had been falling against. The room strongly resembled the one where I had stayed that night, the one where I had seen the succubus, the night that I had seen my darling Bella.

Velvet drapes swirled around the bed in the breeze coming from an open window somewhere. Two silhouettes were lying on the sheets. I moved closer and heard a splash under my foot. Turning my head down I saw that I was standing in a dark puddle that ran along the right side of the bed. My hand shot up to my mouth in disgust. The drapes flapped up in a particularly strong gust revealing Seiren and Hugue wrapped in violet sheets and crimson mattresses. Hugue's head was buried in Seiren neck. Her breathes were more like gasps and a small line of blood traced her mouth and jaw. Two small fangs protruded from behind her lips, her skin was smooth and white as porcelain, and she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

Hugue shifted away from her exposing two large gashes in her neck. I only caught a glimpse before the muscles reattached and the skin covered the wound. Hugue's eyes burned crimson before settling back into the gold they had been in the bathroom. Seiren reached up and lovingly pushed a strand of hair out of his face. The passion in their eyes made me feel naive in thinking that my love for Bella was the strongest in the world. It was an intoxicating sight. If only I had that, that look, that desire. Shaking my head I reminded myself that I did have it. I had waited a hundred years and I had finally found her, my Bella. The strongest love, if not in the world then at least in mine.

"What are we?" Hugue murmured. His eyes showed fear but his mouth was set in a determined line.

"We are ourselves," Seiren smiled. "We are not human anymore, nor are we gods for we can still be killed. We are ourselves, truly, for the first time in our lives."

Ourselves, I had never thought of vampires that way. To me our kind were monsters, soulless yet still alive. Freaks of nature, therefore unnatural. To me vampires never had a place in this world. But what if we did? What if Seiren was right? We are ourselves, not monsters, not humans, not gods. Still, we were killers.

Hugue must have read my mind. "We are going to kill, aren't we? We will be damned."

"Humans kill, gods kill. In that we are no different from other species, we kill to survive as does everything else," Seiren's hair blew away in the wind to unveil her entire face. Her eyes were a deep purple, almost black. I had never seen them that way before and they held me entranced.

"Who did you see? When you changed... I saw you but who did you see?"

"Black wings, white wings. Red eyes, soft eyes. I don't know what I saw. It told me that it was eternal, the only thing eternal. It told me stories of things past, gods dead. It told me that I was its copy, sent to do its bidding on this earth. I would receive a part of its immortality in exchange for the blood it receives through me. And it will receive, it burns me if it doesn't. Also, if I make others it will reward me with powers."

Her head shot up and stared hard at where I was standing. I turned, expecting to see someone behind me. Nothing. _"Who's there?"_ Frantic thoughts. _"Is it you? What do you want from me?" _Frightened and panicked thoughts. _"No. It's YOU!"_ I had no warning. Something hard hit me square in the chest tossing me out of the room and into the door on the opposite side of the corridor. Except it wasn't the door on the other side of the corridor.

* * *

It was dark. Why was it always dark? Some part of me knew that it probably was dark where my actual body was too. Still, I would have given up this darkness for that one any day. This one had a sort of feeling to it. Like the kind of feeling you get when you close your eyes and feel something slimy under your fingers or sense something wrapping itself around your neck, ready to strangle you. That's how I felt.

"Now you will see my darkest secret," a voice resounded around me. It was laughing at me. I tried to cover my ears but couldn't find my hands, I was only my spirit. I had a spirit! Or was it just this voice, taunting me and my deepest desires.

"Watch closely at your creation, mutations are what you are. Though you certainly turned out better than I thought."

"Shut up!" I screamed at no one.

Lights flashed on and blinded me. A damp cylindrical room surrounded me. On one of the sides was a chained body. The arms and legs were pinned to the walls with large blades but no blood ran from the wounds. Whether it was man or woman I couldn't tell because the body was completely covered in chains. Blind eyes stared at me from behind the wild main of hair covering the person's face.

A door to my right creaked open and three figures entered. I couldn't see their shadow covered faces but I knew who they were, or at least who two of them were. The one in the lead was a bit shorter than the rest and had a purple gown under the black cloak she was wearing. The one behind her had a crown of golden hair that seemed to give off a light of its own. The third was totally enveloped in black though a long nose poked out of the shadows of his face. They gathered around the body and took out a few very cruel looking dissection tools.

"Bring him down," Seiren ordered. The long-nosed man ripped out the spikes that held the man to the wall. He fell into a lump on the floor with a sickening thump.

"Is he still alive?" Hugue asked peering over Seiren's shoulder.

"Appears so, bring him to the center Vlad," Seiren pointed to a small table in the center of the room. The candle on it flickered and illuminated her face. She looked pale but the air of power in her had grown. Her aura was as formidable as the newborns without their rash, instinctual behavior.

The man was laid on the table and his hair was pushed out of his face. I gasped when I recognised his face. At first I couldn't believe it, a trick of the light perhaps, but no. Under the scars and dead skin was Aro! He moaned as the spikes were driven through his arms again. Seiren knelt next to him and put her hand over his heart. Tiny black wisps of smoke came out of her fingertips and sank into his flesh. He whimpered, not having the energy to scream, as they crawled through his veins. I could hear his heart start to beat rapidly as all of the blood left his system. Seiren smiled, apparently satisfied, and lifted her hand. His heartbeat had stopped.

"Hugue," she whispered. He knelt next to her and placed his hand on Aro's forehead. Tiny lights spread across his face. "Keep the brain alive until we're done."

The other vampire, Vlad, came to kneel on her other side. "Are you going to insert the chromosome pair?"

"Yes, do you have it?"

"It's here. The ones Hugue created grew well..."

"But?"

"But I am not sure how your going to insert them or if they will work. And also, what if we create something that is to strong or that is not dependent on you," Vlad's eyebrows creased as he voiced his concerns.

"That is why we will only create one for now," Seiren said patiently. "Now, the chromosomes please."

Vlad handed her a container made of what looked like diamonds. On the inside a small flame burned under a vial. Seiren took it in her hands and gently opened the lid. The flames flared around the vial as the air rushed in. Seiren's hand edged in and pulled it out of the fire. She winced as her hand was burned but it healed as soon as her hand was out of the container. Carefully she handed the vial to Hugue. His right hand snaked under his left to take hold of it. Seiren placed her hand on his and together they crushed the glass into dust. A white string flowed from between their fingers and into Aro's eyes, nose, and mouth. Hugue took his hand off of Aro's forehead and took Seiren's other open hand. Vlad took out a long silver knife out of his cloak. With two fluid movements he cut their wrists. As Seiren's blood flowed into Hugue's a small silver flash lit up the stream.

It entered Aro's skin through his pores and I could feel it run through him in his thoughts. I could sense it chasing after the small strands, catching up, drenching them red. The souls trapped in the crimson droplets entered the strands and multiplied them. As they ran through Aro's veins some broke off and wriggled into his cells. Once there they attached themselves to his DNA. The cells without the strands started whithering and dying. Outside Aro's body started degrading. Hugue started to pull away to try and revive them but Seiren stopped him. Soon almost all of Aro's cells were dead. His eyes started falling in and his nails rotted away. Seiren's eyes closed in disapointment and she let go of Hugue's hands.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," she sighed.

Then, out of nowhere I felt life. The mutated cells started multiplying. They covered Aro's body in mear seconds giving his grey skin a flush of color before turning it white. Seiren looked up in amazement as Aro's eyes regained their light and his eyelids fluttered open and shut. His lips moved forming silent words, his hands clenched and unclenched, and his chest started rising and falling as his body recovered its functions.

He sat bolt upright ripping through the heavy chains. Looking around he lunged at the nearest vampire which happened to be Vlad. Seiren pulled Hugue back as Aro ripped through Vlad's throat. The blood was consumed before it even left Vlad's throat, red waves flashed before my eyes and I could feel Vlad clinging in vain to his life. In a matter of seconds it was over. Aro turned to look at the others crouching by the far wall, ready to spring. Aro lunged but, even though he was a newborn, Seiren was faster. Shoving his face into the stone floor, Seiren jumped over Aro and yanked the door open. Hugue followed suit and they slammed the door shut before Aro had a chance to recover.

I heard something move above my head. It was the sound of levers and wheels pulling and turning somewhere near the roof of the tower. A small beam of sunlight spread across the floor. Aro screeched and moved away from it. The sun was right on top off us and he had no place to hide, no shadows to engulf him. He shrank back and waited for his demise. But it never came, as soon as the light hit his skin it erupted into a thousand sparkling diamonds. _"What is this?"_Aro's mind whirled and emerged from under the thirst.

The roof was shut and the whole tower went dark. A flickering candle was my only light though it was enough. Seiren and Hugue came sweeping in followed by ten guards. She smiled down at his scared expression. "It worked!"

My eyes started to water and my vision blurred. The room was getting dark again. Soon all I was able to see was the flickering of the candle...and then that disappeared as well.

"So, what did you think?" the bodiless voice echoed in my mind again. "My greatest triumph and biggest mistake."

"Who are you," I shouted. "Why are you in my head?"

"Oh, I believe you are wrong on that account. You see, I am not in _your_ head but rather, you are in mine. And I think its about time you came out."

Pain exploded through me! I screamed as my body burned as if I was being turned all over again. I found my arms again and began to clutch at the cold floor beneath me. My legs writhed and twisted in unnatural positions. There was a weight on my chest that was suffocating me. Panic gripped at me as the burning progressed. And then something cool and soft touched my lips. Something soothing slid down my cheek and down to my throat.

"You know too much, I have to kill you," a smooth voice reached my ears.

"You don't have to kill humans, do you?" I whispered. She had created the monsters that we were, I had to know.

"No. With the added chromosomes something happened. The part of my soul that I give away when I let a human drink my blood is given away in the bite when it comes to you. You became like the lycans, infection with contact."

"But the sun can't hurt you?" I was clinging to strands but if I could stall her, just for a few seconds, maybe I could escape.

"Unlike you we grow stronger with age. I am practically invincible."

"Ahh. Well, I have nothing else to ask except, where is my Bella? It was you wasn't it?" I laughed at myself for not acting on my instincts. I guess a part of me had been hoping that I was wrong all this time.

"She was with you all this time. I just cloaked her presence. It was much easier once I turned her into one of us though," a wicked smile spread across Seiren's delicate face. In a way it made her seem even more beautiful.

"You changed her! Of course you did. She was the vampire that came with us, wasn't she?" I didn't have enpugh strength to even act suprised at this new revelation.

"Since I am merciful and there is no way for her to help you, I let you say your final words to each other."

It was a cruel joke, a merciful torment. "Just don't let her see me die," I murmured. Even as I said the words I knew they were in vain.

Seiren lifted herself off of my chest and strolled into the shadows. A series of footsteps came to my side. A soft hand inched across my face and soft lips pressed against mine. It was a short moment, probably broken up by Seiren, but in it was a passion unrivaled. This was my love, Bella, vampire or not she was my only one. Crimson tears spilled from her eyes. It was strange but I was happy that she was able to cry. I wish I could have too. Instead I flashed her one of my crooked smiles that she loved so much. It wavered and broke yet I knew that she got the message.

"Don't seek revenge," I murmured. "I am sorry I'm asking this of you but try to forget. Don't waste immortality in grief over me."

"You idiot, how could you ask me this," she stuttered.

"I love you," I knew our time was up.

Seiren came up and waved Bella off. Bella screamed and tried to fight against it but Seiren held too much power over her. "Ready?" she whispered.

I closed my eyes as Seiren grabbed my arms and started to pull. The pain was numbed by my mental trauma. Bella was going to seek revenge and then she would die. My arms fell to the ground and shattered like glass. Next were my legs. Bella was screaming my name in the corner. I felt Seiren's hands grip my torso. Behind her I saw Bella inch closer. It must have been hell for her to defy her master's orders. Seiren's hands smoothed my hair back in a gentle caress. They slid down my jaws and converged over my lips before wandering down to my throat. My lungs had been ripped out but I held my breath anyway.

Bella had actually managed to crawl by my ear. In the tiniest of whispers she sighed, "I love you, Edward, for eternity."

I couldn't help but to smile. My neck was snapped and my head thrown into a pile with the rest of my body parts. I opened my eyes to see orange flames wrapping me in warmth. Bella stared at me with sadness in her eyes. Maybe, just maybe, if I closed my eyes I could pretend that the scorching flames were her arms, holding me, comforting me. She had said that she loved me many times but this time seemed different. A small pain throbbed in my chest, which was weird since I wasn't attached to it anymore. I knew that, at that moment, my heart wasn't slowly burning in the red fire. Instead it was in her hand. I had given myself fully and completely to Bella. She was the last thought that ever passed through my mind and I was happy.


End file.
